New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram | There was no decision on Monday by the Congress on the next chief minister of Kerala, the only state in the latest election cycle going through such uncertainty, prompting key ally IUML to warn that the delay could have political repercussions.
The party leadership is learnt to have decided to hold discussions with former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) presidents before finalising a name. Those called by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to Delhi for discussions, likely on Tuesday, included M M Hassan, V M Sudheeran, Mullapally Ramachandran and K Muraleedharan, besides veteran leader and Kannur Lok Sabha MP K Sudhakaran, sources said.
"Discussions will also be held with former defence minister and party veteran A K Antony, who served as KPCC president between 1996 and 2001, to arrive at a decision within a day or two," a person familiar with the developments told PTI.
Uncertainty continued in party circles on Monday, two days after Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi held discussions with the three contenders for the top post – senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal and leader of opposition in the outgoing Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan. KPCC chief Sunny Joseph and AICC general secretary in charge of the southern state, Deepa Dasmunsi, also attended the meeting.
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key constituent of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala, expressed displeasure over the situation. The party’s Malappuram district general secretary P Abdul Hameed said the delay had already caused dissatisfaction among party workers and the public.
“The decision has already been delayed. If it is prolonged further, there will be repercussions. We hope the AICC leadership realises this,” he told reporters.
This is not the first time that the Congress has kept the decision on picking a chief minister hanging. Intense lobbying was witnessed when the Congress won the Karnataka polls in 2023, with the two top contenders – Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar – lobbying hard for the top post. Finally, a compromise was reached, and Siddaramaiah was named chief minister with Shivakumar as his deputy.
Such lobbying and delay were also witnessed in 2018, when the Congress won Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. While Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia were chief minister aspirants in Madhya Pradesh, Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot were the front-runners in Rajasthan. Eventually, a compromise was reached after days of uncertainty, and while Kamal Nath was chosen in Madhya Pradesh, Gehlot got the top job in Rajasthan with Pilot as his deputy.
People across Kerala were questioning the delay, Hameed said, claiming that women voters from the district were calling party leaders to ask why they had been asked to vote for the UDF.
“There is dissatisfaction everywhere. People are raising this issue wherever we go, even at weddings and funerals,” he said.
Party leaders in Thiruvananthapuram have indicated that the high command is waiting for the political atmosphere in Kerala, which witnessed demonstrations and poster wars between the supporters of Satheesan and Venugopal last week, to calm down before making an announcement.
Hameed said Kerala was politically different from north Indian states and prolonged indecision would not be accepted by its politically aware voters.
Asked about the delay, a senior Congress leader, who did not wish to be named, said, “The Assembly expires only on May 23. So there is no hurry – why worry?”
Chennithala said whatever decision the party high command took would be accepted by all Congress and UDF workers in Kerala.
“We have conveyed to the high command whatever we had to say. They have heard everything. Now it is for them to decide,” Chennithala told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram after returning from Delhi.
He also said the delay was part of the democratic process.
“All the discussions have been completed. We are not taking as much time as the Left Front took last time,” Chennithala said.
On the BJP’s criticism on the issue, Chennithala had said on Sunday that there was no need to respond when the saffron party itself took days to decide on its CM pick in Delhi.
After the 2025 Delhi elections, the BJP came under attack from the opposition parties over the delay in announcing its chief minister.
Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan compared the ongoing uncertainty in Kerala to a train journey.
“There is no point in walking inside a moving train. The train has not yet reached the station. One can get down only after it reaches the station,” he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.
“Sometimes, due to adverse weather conditions, a train may get delayed in reaching the station,” he said, extending the analogy to the ongoing deliberations within the party.
He acknowledged that the delay had caused unease among the public.
The Congress has 63 MLAs in the 140-member Assembly. The IUML has 22, and its opinion will matter.
The Kerala Congress (KEC) won eight seats and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) three in the just concluded polls.
The UDF has won a total of 102 seats, which is more than a two-thirds majority.
Thiruvananthapuram | As uncertainty over the next Kerala chief minister continues, the Congress high command has called former KPCC presidents and senior party leaders to New Delhi for discussions on Tuesday.
Former KPCC president and senior leader VM Sudheeran on Monday confirmed that he would travel to New Delhi at the direction of the party's national leadership.
"I came to know with surprise, and the information was received only now. I am going to New Delhi on Tuesday on the 11 am flight," Sudheeran told reporters.
He said the direction given to him was to meet the party leadership in New Delhi.
When asked whether he would explain the political atmosphere in Kerala to the leadership, Sudheeran replied in the affirmative.
Regarding the delay in announcing the chief minister’s name, Sudheeran said he could not comment on it now and would give clear explanations to questions asked by the leadership.
Referring to the Congress-led UDF’s victory in the Assembly elections, Sudheeran said it was the success of "Team UDF".
"There is no doubt that it was a victory of Team UDF. Let Kerala get a chief minister and other mechanisms soon and let them work up to the expectations of the people," he said.
Senior leader K Muraleedharan also confirmed that he had been directed to meet the party leadership in New Delhi on Tuesday.
He said he would travel on a 6 am flight and attend discussions at the party headquarters by 10 am.
"I was asked to reach Delhi, and I said I will reach there. The rest will be known after reaching there,” he said.
When asked whether he had been called for discussions related to the chief minister’s selection, Muraleedharan said the leadership would not summon him merely to discuss the weather.
"Anyway, there will be a decision by Tuesday or Wednesday. The anticipation will end by then," he said.
Muraleedharan said he had already conveyed his opinion on the chief ministerial candidate during the Congress Legislature Party meeting attended by AICC observers in Thiruvananthapuram.
However, he said all Congress leaders and workers would accept the decision taken by the party high command.
"The decision is expected by Tuesday or Wednesday. I expect the uncertainty to end within the next 48 hours," he said.
There are reports that senior leaders K Sudhakaran, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and M M Hassan have also been called to New Delhi.
Recently, the AICC leadership held discussions in New Delhi with the three main contenders for the chief minister’s post — V D Satheesan, K C Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala — along with current KPCC president Sunny Joseph.
The Congress Legislature Party had passed a resolution authorising Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to take a final decision on the next CM of Kerala.
New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram | The suspense and speculation over who would be the next chief minister of Kerala continued on Monday with the delay in the decision by the Congress irking key UDF constituent IUML, which warned that prolonged uncertainty on the matter could have political repercussions.
This is not the first time the Congress has kept the decision on picking a chief minister hanging.
Intense lobbying was witnessed when the Congress won the Karnataka polls in 2023, with the two top contenders – Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar – lobbying hard for the top post. Finally, a compromise was reached, and Siddaramaiah was named the chief minister with Shivakumar as his deputy.
Such lobbying and delay were also witnessed in 2018, when the Congress won Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
While Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia were chief minister aspirants in Madhya Pradesh, Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot were the front-runners in Rajasthan. Eventually, a compromise was reached after days of uncertainty, and while Kamal Nath was chosen in Madhya Pradesh, Gehlot got the top job in Rajasthan with Pilot as his deputy.
On Monday, uncertainty continued within the Congress over the selection of Kerala's next chief minister, two days after party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi held discussions with the three contenders for the top post – senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal and leader of opposition in the outgoing Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Sunny Joseph and AICC general secretary in charge of the southern state, Deepa Dasmunsi, also attended the meeting.
Party leaders in Thiruvananthapuram indicated that a decision is expected after Kharge meets senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on the leadership issue.
They also indicated that the high command is waiting for the political atmosphere in Kerala, which witnessed demonstrations and poster wars between the supporters of Satheesan and Venugopal last week, to calm down before making an announcement.
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key constituent of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala, has expressed strong displeasure over the delay in picking the chief minister, warning that prolonged uncertainty could have political repercussions.
IUML’s Malappuram district general secretary P Abdul Hameed said the delay had already caused dissatisfaction among the party workers and the public.
“The decision has already been delayed. If it is prolonged further, there will be repercussions. We hope the AICC leadership realises this,” he told reporters.
People across the state were questioning the delay, he said, claiming that even women voters from the district were calling party leaders to ask why they had been made to vote for the UDF.
“There is dissatisfaction everywhere. People are raising only this issue wherever we go, including marriage functions and funerals,” Hameed said.
He added that Kerala was politically different from north Indian states and that such prolonged indecision would not be accepted by its politically aware voters.
Asked about the delay, a senior Congress leader, who did not wish to be named, said, “The Assembly expires only on May 23. So there is no hurry – why worry?”
Meanwhile, Chennithala said that whatever decision the party high command makes would be accepted by all Congress and UDF workers in Kerala.
“We have conveyed to the high command whatever we had to say. They have heard everything. Now it is for them to decide,” Chennithala told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram after returning from New Delhi.
He also said the delay was part of a democratic process.
“All the discussions have been completed. We are not taking as much time as the Left Front took last time,” Chennithala said.
On the BJP’s criticism on the issue, Chennithala had said on Sunday that there was no need to respond when the saffron party itself took days to decide on its CM pick in Delhi.
After the 2025 Delhi elections, the BJP came under attack from the opposition parties over the delay in announcing its chief minister candidate.
Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan compared the ongoing uncertainty in Kerala to a train journey.
“There is no point in walking inside a moving train. The train has not yet reached the station. One can get down only after it reaches the station,” he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.
“Sometimes, due to adverse weather conditions, a train may get delayed in reaching the station,” he said, extending the analogy to the ongoing deliberations within the party.
He also acknowledged that the delay has caused unease among the public.
Thiruvananthapuram | As the grand old party remained locked in a prolonged tussle over Kerala’s next CM, BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday took a sarcastic dig at it, triggering fresh political buzz around senior Congress leader K C Venugopal, one of the three contenders for the post.
Reacting to a seemingly sarcastic social media post by a netizen claiming that the Kerala BJP wanted Venugopal, the AICC general secretary, in the state while the national BJP preferred him in New Delhi, Chandrasekhar said on X: “My response: I will neither confirm nor deny that this is true.”
The post shared by the BJP leader mocked the continuing delay in the Congress high command’s decision on the CM’s post amid intense lobbying among the top contenders—V D Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala, and Venugopal.
“Hilarious tough fight between Kerala BJP and national BJP. Kerala BJP wants KC Venugopal in Kerala. National BJP wants KC Venugopal in Delhi,” the post read on X.
Chandrasekhar’s sarcastic remark drew widespread attention as uncertainty continues within the Congress over the CM issue, with Venugopal among the prominent names in contention.