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KC Venugopal surges ahead in Kerala CM race: 7/10 support at key Rahul Gandhi meet
Most of the state Congress leaders are said to have supported KC Venugopal as the next Kerala CM.
The race for Kerala chief minister seems to have narrowed to two contenders, as Congress MP and leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, met several leaders from the state, including UDF convenor Adhoor Prakash and KPCC disciplinary committee chief Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan.
Gandhi also met five former presidents of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee and three KPCC working presidents. Follow Kerala CM announcement LIVE updates here.
Seven of the leaders are said to have supported KC Venugopal as the next Kerala CM. Leader of the opposition in the Kerala assembly, VD Sateeshan, received the backing of two of the ten leaders, while one remained neutral.
According to sources, K Muralidharan and VM Sudheeran had backed Sateeshan, while the names of Venugopal's backers are yet to be confirmed. The name of the third contender, senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, seems to have gone out of contention.
Chennithala on Monday said that whatever decision the party high command takes regarding the chief ministerial post in Kerala will be accepted by all Congress and UDF workers in the state.
"We have conveyed whatever we had to say to the high command. They have heard everything. The rest is for them to decide," Chennithala told reporters here after returning from New Delhi.
He said the delay in taking the decision is part of a democratic procedure.
Whatever decision the party high command takes regarding the chief ministerial post in Kerala will be accepted by all Congress and UDF workers in the state, he added.
In the meeting, Rahul Gandhi expressed concern about the road shows and displays of strength by warring factions within the Kerala Congress.
The Congress-led UDF has won 102 of the total 140 seats in the Kerala assembly, while the outgoing LDF has won 35. The BJP ended up winning 3 seats.
