Six days after the Assembly election results were announced for four states and Puducherry on May 4, two states have already sworn in their chief ministers while two others have declared their CM candidates. However, political uncertainty continues in Kerala as the Indian National Congress remains undecided over who will replace Pinarayi Vijayan as the state’s next chief minister.

With the new Assembly required to be formed before the May 23 deadline, pressure is increasing on the Congress leadership to settle the growing internal power struggle within the party.

Congress High Command Yet to Finalise Kerala Chief Minister

AICC in-charge for Kerala Deepa Dasmunshi said the Congress high command would announce the party’s chief ministerial choice “very soon”.  At the same time, party leaders publicly maintained that everyone would accept whatever decision the high command ultimately takes.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders from Kerala have continued travelling to New Delhi to meet the central leadership as political lobbying intensifies behind the scenes.

Supporters of different chief ministerial hopefuls have also started putting up posters and organising protests in favour of their preferred candidates across the state.

Rahul Gandhi Steps In Amid Congress Infighting

As factional tensions escalated, Rahul Gandhi reportedly asked the main contenders — V. D. Satheesan, K. C. Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala — to control their supporters and stop the growing infighting within the party.

The ongoing leadership battle has drawn comparisons with the power struggle in Karnataka between Siddaramaiah and D. K. Shivakumar after the Congress victory in the 2023 Assembly elections.

K C Venugopal Emerges as Key Player in Kerala CM Race

One of the biggest developments in Kerala politics has been the entry of K C Venugopal into the chief ministerial race despite not contesting the Assembly elections.

Venugopal, who currently serves as Congress general secretary (organisation) and Lok Sabha MP from Alappuzha, is considered one of the most influential leaders in the party after Rahul Gandhi.

According to reports shared by central observers during a meeting at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence, Venugopal is believed to have the backing of around 43 newly elected Congress MLAs.

However, the final decision now rests with Rahul Gandhi, who must decide whether to send his close aide back to Kerala politics or retain him at the national level ahead of future political battles.

Satheesan and Chennithala Continue to Push Strong Claims

At the same time, V D Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala remain strong contenders for the chief minister’s post. Satheesan, who served as the Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly, is being credited by supporters for aggressively challenging the Left Democratic Front government and building momentum against the Pinarayi Vijayan-led administration.

Meanwhile, Chennithala’s supporters argued that he stepped aside for late former chief minister Oommen Chandy during the previous Congress-led government and now deserves similar recognition from the party leadership.

Chennithala is currently 69 years old, while Satheesan is 61 and Venugopal is 63.

IUML Publicly Supports V D Satheesan for Kerala CM

The Congress ally Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has openly backed V D Satheesan for the chief minister’s position. The support from IUML has strengthened Satheesan’s claim in the ongoing leadership battle within the Congress-led alliance.

Meanwhile, discussions continue within party circles regarding whether a sitting Member of Parliament can become chief minister after the Congress earlier adopted a policy that sitting MPs would not contest Assembly elections.

Congress Alliance Registers Massive Victory in Kerala

The Congress won 63 seats in the 140-member Kerala Assembly election.

Its alliance partners — IUML with 22 seats, Kerala Congress with eight seats, and the Revolutionary Socialist Party with three seats — helped the United Democratic Front secure a total of 102 seats.

The alliance comfortably crossed the two-thirds majority mark and returned to power in Kerala with a decisive mandate.