KC Venugopal, Rahul Gandhi's loyalist, emerges as top contender for Kerala CM's post
Majority of the 63 Congress MLAs in Kerala want senior MP KC Venugopal to be appointed as the chief minister of the state. Venugopal, who comes from the Nair community, is known for his closeness with Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge.
Veteran Congress leader KC Venugopal is currently party's national general secretary and has spent a lot of time overseeing key party affairs and coordination at the national level, but he could likely return to Kerala to head the state government there following a victory of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the 2026 assembly elections.
Sources, cited by news agency PTI, have said that a majority of 63 MLAs of Congress want Venugopal to be made the chief minister of Kerala. Venugopal comes from the influential Nair community of Kerala, and considering his closeness to Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, there is a huge possibility that he could be appointed to the top post.
Earlier as well, India TV had reported that 63-year-old Venugopal, along with Ramesh Chennithala, remains the frontrunner for the chief ministerial position. However, many in Congress also argue for VD Satheesan. According to PTI, Satheesan remains the public's choice, even though Venugopal has support of majority of Congress MLAs.
Supporters of Venugopal, Satheesan and Chennithala have waged a poster war and are engaging in social media arguments in a bid to pressurise the top brass to select their leaders for the top post. This has forced the party leadership to intervene and advise workers to "avoid agitations". On Sunday, Chennithala said everyone is being consulted and a decision will be made following a consensus.
His remarks came a day after Kharge held meetings with Venugopal, Satheesan, Congress' Kerala unit chief Sunny Joseph and Deepa Dasmunshi on selecting Congress Legislature Party leader in Kerala.
"We are not a party that acts on directions from Nagpur. Congress functions in a completely democratic manner," Chennithala told reporters in New Delhi. "Everyone has been consulted. The high command will take a decision as early as possible."
In the recently held Kerala elections, the Congress-led UDF secured a victory, with 102 seats, to end the LDF's rule. The Congress emerged as the single largest party with 63 seats. Allies like the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Kerala Congress won 22 and seven seats, respectively, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
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