Signs of an internal rift have emerged within the Congress over the selection of the next Chief Minister of Kerala, with sources indicating that senior leader VD Satheesan is unlikely to be part of the Cabinet if AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal is chosen for the top post.
The three principal contenders for the chief ministerial post are Venugopal, Satheesan, and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala.
A decision on the next Kerala Chief Minister has remained pending since May 4, when the Congress-led United Democratic Front secured a massive mandate by winning 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly.
The suspense persisted even after party observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik met Congress MLAs in Kerala and collected their feedback. The party's central leadership later held consultations with the three contenders as well as KPCC president Sunny Joseph.
Congress leaders in Kerala appear divided over whether coalition allies should have a role in deciding the chief ministerial candidate.
The Satheesan camp has reportedly argued that if Venugopal is appointed Chief Minister, the UDF would be forced to face two by-elections, one for Venugopal to enter the Assembly and another for the Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency seat currently represented by him in Parliament. According to them, this could prove politically risky under the present circumstances.
However, leaders backing Venugopal claim he enjoys the support of a majority of Congress MLAs as well as several MPs from Kerala, and describe him as a strong strategist capable of ensuring UDF victories in any by-elections.
Meanwhile, the Chennithala camp has maintained that he is the senior-most leader in the state unit who stood firmly with the party and the Nehru-Gandhi family during difficult periods. Supporters have also highlighted his long organisational experience, noting that several leaders who worked under him in the NSUI and Youth Congress later became chief ministers and Union ministers.
In the 140-member Kerala Assembly, the Congress has 63 MLAs, while its allies — the Indian Union Muslim League has 22 MLAs, Kerala Congress has eight, and the Revolutionary Socialist Party has three legislators.
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