Kerala CM decision highlights: VD Satheesan meets Kerala governor, hands over letter of support

Kerala CM decision LIVE updates: More than 10 days after the declaration of the assembly election results, Kerala is set to get its chief minister on Thursday, with the Congress expected to announce the name of its legislature party leader at a meeting of newly elected party MLAs at KPCC headquarters here in the afternoon.

The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting to be held at 1 pm on May 14 was announced a day ago by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Sunny Joseph.

The announcement came as the Congress high command, after several days of discussions with party leaders from the southern state, indicated that the next chief minister of the state would be announced on Thursday.

Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh conveyed this following a meeting between Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at the latter's residence in New Delhi. (PTI)

Kerala CM decision LIVE updates: Ten days after the results of the Kerala assembly polls were declared, the southern state may finally know its chief minister’s name.

The Congress, which won 63 of the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) 102 seats, is set to announce the chief minister’s name during the legislature party meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, a party functionary said.

“As authorised by the members of the CLP in Kerala, the Congress high command has completed all discussions and the decision on the next Kerala CM will be announced tomorrow,” said Congress’s communication chief Jairam Ramesh, following a meeting between senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, who is one of the three front-runners for the CM post.

The other two contenders are the outgoing leader of the opposition in Kerala assembly VD Satheesan and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala. The meeting came amid reports from Kerala that a large number of Congress activists have gathered at Satheensan’s house in Aluva and the party’s district offices.

Kerala CM decision LIVE updates: The Congress will announce its chief ministerial pick in Kerala on Thursday, the party said here after days of suspense, intense lobbying and marathon discussions.

After an almost 40-minute meeting between Rahul Gandhi and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge at the latter's residence, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the decision on the next Kerala chief minister will be announced tomorrow as the party high command has completed all discussions in this regard.

The suspense over the party's pick would end 10 days after the results of the assembly elections were declared. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) had won over two-thirds majority in the Kerala Assembly polls.

All democratic practices and processes will be followed in announcing the chief minister's name, a senior leader, who did not wish to be named, said, indicating that the CM nominee may be revealed in Kerala.

AICC general secretary for organisation, K C Venugopal, Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Kerala assembly, V D Satheesan, and senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala are among those in the race for the post.

The party has been grappling with its chief ministerial pick and has held several rounds of discussions with local leaders and former party chiefs in the state. (PTI)

Kerala CM decision LIVE updates: A day after senior Congress leader KC Venugopal was backed by six of the nine party leaders who attended a Congress meeting on Tuesday on selecting the United Democratic Front (UDF) CM, posters warning Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were seen in latter's constituency Wayanad, warning them against going ahead with Venugopal for the chief minister's post.

While six people had backed Venugopal, two -- K Muralidharan and VM Sudheeran-- supported VD Satheesan, and one remained neutral on Tuesday.

Ramesh Chemmithala, Congress leader and MLA from Haripad, is the other contender for the post. While Venugopal has the backing of the majority of the elected Congress MLAs, Satheesan has wide support among the party rank and file and key allies like the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Kerala Congress (Joseph).

The posters appeared outside the district Congress committee office in Wayanad and Vadra’s MP office in Mukkam in Kozhikode. Vadra is the Congress MP from Wayanad while Gandhi served as the MP from the constituency between 2019 and 2024. One of the posters said, “Mr Rahul, KC might be your bag bearer, but people of Kerala will never forgive you.” Read full report here

Kerala CM decision LIVE updates: Kerala Congress leaders VD Satheesan, KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala are said to be in the running for the post of chief minister.

While Venugopal has the backing of the majority of the elected Congress MLAs, Satheesan has wide support among the party rank and file and key allies like the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Kerala Congress (Joseph), as reported in an earlier HT report.

In a key meeting on selecting the United Democratic Front (UDF) CM on Tuesday, Venugopal was backed by six of the nine party leaders , while two leaders-- K Muralidharan and VM Sudheeran-- supported VD Satheesan, and one remained neutral.

Kerala CM decision LIVE updates: Ten days after the results of the Kerala assembly polls were declared, the southern state may finally know its chief minister’s name.

The Congress, which won 63 of the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) 102 seats, is set to announce the chief minister’s name during the legislature party meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, a party functionary said.

“As authorised by the members of the CLP in Kerala, the Congress high command has completed all discussions and the decision on the next Kerala CM will be announced tomorrow,” said Congress’s communication chief Jairam Ramesh, following a meeting between senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, who is one of the three front-runners for the CM post.

The other two contenders are the outgoing leader of the opposition in Kerala assembly VD Satheesan and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala. The meeting came amid reports from Kerala that a large number of Congress activists have gathered at Satheensan’s house in Aluva and the party’s district offices.

Kerala CM decision LIVE updates: With suspense over the next Kerala chief minister face continuing even 10 days after the announcement of assembly election results, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday held a final round of discussions with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

The Congress leadership has been unable to decide on a chief ministerial face after the United Democratic Front (UDF) stormed to victory with over two-thirds majority in the just concluded elections in the state.

Gandhi drove down to Kharge's residence for the meeting, which lasted about 40 minutes. No official statement was issued immediately after the meeting.

Gandhi had previously met several leaders from Kerala and around eight former state unit chiefs to ascertain the ground situation. (PTI)

Kerala CM announcement LIVE updates: The Congress will announce its chief ministerial pick in Kerala on Thursday, the party said here after days of suspense, intense lobbying and marathon discussions.

After an almost 40-minute meeting between Rahul Gandhi and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge at the latter's residence, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the decision on the next Kerala chief minister will be announced tomorrow as the party high command has completed all discussions in this regard.

The suspense over the party's pick would end 10 days after the results of the assembly elections were declared. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) had won over two-thirds majority in the Kerala Assembly polls.

"As authorised by the members of the CLP in Kerala, the high command of the Congress has completed all discussions, and the decision on who the next chief minister of Kerala will be will be announced tomorrow," Ramesh said. (PTI)

Kerala CM announcement LIVE updates: In Kerala, the homes of Congress Chief Minister hopefuls Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan remained crowded on Wednesday with anxious supporters through the day as suspense over the party's leadership choice continued.

The wait finally eased late in the evening when AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh, speaking in New Delhi, said the Congress high command would announce its decision on Thursday.

AICC general secretary for organisation, K C Venugopal, Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Kerala assembly, Satheesan, and senior party leader Chennithala are among those in the race for the top post after the Congress-led UDF swept the April 9 elections.

As word spread that the Congress high command would take a final call after Rahul Gandhi met party president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on Wednesday evening, the homes of CM hopefuls Chennithala in Vazhuthacaud, Thiruvananthapuram, and Satheesan in Aluva near Kochi became centres of tense anticipation. (PTI)

Kerala CM announcement LIVE updates: NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair said on Wednesday that UDF coalition partners, including the IUML, should not have interfered in the Kerala chief minister selection process and that their intervention had delayed the decision.

Nair claimed that not just the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), but other UDF coalition parties also interfered in the selection process, which was an internal matter of the Congress. They should not have interfered or backed any of the leaders under consideration for the post, he said.

"The delay in a decision by the Congress central leadership is due to this interference. If not, the decision would have come much earlier," he said.

Nair also claimed that there was some mystery behind the poster campaigns in support of the three leaders -- K C Venugopal, V D Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala. (PTI)

Kerala CM announcement LIVE updates: The CLP meeting is scheduled to be held at the KPCC headquarters here on Thursday afternoon to elect its legislative leader, as the party moves towards announcing its chief ministerial candidate for Kerala.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by KPCC chief Sunny Joseph, the Congress Legislature Party meeting will be held at 1 pm on May 14.

The announcement came as the Congress high command indicated that the suspense over the next chief minister of Kerala would end on Thursday, nearly 10 days after the Assembly election results were declared.

After a meeting between Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at the latter's residence in New Delhi, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the leadership had completed discussions on the issue. (PTI)

Kerala CM announcement LIVE updates: Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh has now announced that discussions within the party have been completed and Kerala's chief minister will be announced today.

The wait for a chief minister for Kerala is expected to end soon, over a week after assembly election results were announced, as Congress may announce its pick for the top job after much discussions and deliberations.

Several Congress' Kerala leaders, including five former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs (KPCC), United Democratic Front convenor, KPCC disciplinary committee chief and three KPCC working presidents, met Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday to discuss and pick a chief minister for Kerala.

Kerala CM announcement LIVE updates: The Congress on Wednesday said it will announce its chief ministerial pick for Kerala on Thursday, ending days of suspense, intense discussions and marathon consultations within the party after the Congress-led UDF’s sweeping victory in the Assembly elections.