Thiruvananthapuram | The CLP on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution electing Kerala chief minister-designate V D Satheesan as its leader in the Assembly, party sources said.
The resolution was moved in the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting held in the Assembly here by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Sunny Joseph and seconded by senior party leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, the sources said.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala was absent from the meeting, but he gave a letter supporting Satheesan, the sources added.
The CLP meeting was held following the All India Congress Committee (AICC) announcing in the afternoon that Satheesan will be the CM.
Party sources further said that the party leaders will meet Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to hand over the UDF alliance partners' letters supporting them.
Deepa Dasmunsi to speak to Chennithala, Cong asserts unity
Thiruvananthapuram | Congress general secretary in-charge of Kerala, Deepa Dasmunsi, on Thursday said she would speak to senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala, who has reportedly remained silent since the announcement of the UDF’s chief ministerial face, and asserted that all leaders would stand united.
Dasmunsi, speaking to reporters in Kerala after arriving in the state in the evening, said reports claiming differences in the number of MLAs supporting each leader—V D Satheesan, Chennithala, and K C Venugopal—were untrue.
“It was all untrue. Actually, all of them had authorised the high command to make a decision. So whatever decision they took, the party will stand by it,” she said.
Dasmunsi also said that she and party observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik, who are also in Kerala, would be meeting all stakeholders.
Following the announcement by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) that Satheesan would be the CM face of Kerala, Chennithala reportedly left his residence without speaking to anyone.
There were reports that he had raised objections to the AICC decision. However, Chennithala skipped the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting scheduled for the evening. Leaders close to him denied these reports, saying that he had not expressed any dissent to the high command.
The Congress named Satheesan as Kerala’s CM, ending days of suspense over the party’s leadership decision.
Venugopal, meanwhile, accepted the party’s decision and congratulated Satheesan.
He also assured full support to Satheesan and the UDF government in Kerala.
The Congress-led UDF secured a more-than-two-thirds majority in the Kerala Assembly elections, but the party was unable to decide on its chief ministerial candidate amid lobbying by different camps and protests by workers at the grassroots level.