Cong observers for Kerala submit report to Kharge, discussions likely on CM pick

Sources said the top leadership is likely to hold discussions with all three contenders - AICC general secretary organisation K C Venugopal, Satheesan and Chennithala - before finalising on the chief ministerial candidate. Sources said a majority of the party MLAs are in support of making Venugopal the chief minister while the public is favouring Satheesan.

The two Congress observers, appointed to seek the opinion of newly-elected MLAs in Kerala, submitted their report to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday and urged the party high command to take a final decision on the chief ministerial candidate. The focus has now shifted to the national capital as the Congress leadership has summoned the state leadership for discussions on the chief ministerial candidate and government formation. Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Kerala assembly V D Satheesan, senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala and Kerala Congress chief Sunny Joseph are all arriving in Delhi tonight to have talks with the party leadership on government formation. Sources said the top leadership is likely to hold discussions with all three contenders - AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, Satheesan and Chennithala - before finalising on the chief ministerial candidate. They would also hold discussions with Congress general secretary in-charge of Kerala affairs Deepa Dasmunshi. Earlier, Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik spoke to all the MLAs of the Congress as well as party MPs and submitted their observations to the party leadership. The duo had gone to Kerala on Wednesday and met all the legislators and MPs on Thursday before returning to the national capital late. Sources said a majority of the party MLAs are in support of making Venugopal the chief minister while the public is favouring Satheesan. Supporters of both Venugopal and Satheesan have come out with posters and banners of their leaders in Delhi as well as in the state capital. Some university students in Delhi would also come out in support welcoming Satheesan in Delhi on his arrival late at night, sources said. While submitting their report to the Congress chief, Maken and Wasnik discussed with him the observations made by the new party legislators after they met each one of the them individually. They have also spoken to the party MPs and some ex-MPs, the sources said. The sources said Kharge has called all the three contenders for talks before taking a final decision on the top post. They said Venugopal is also keen on assuming the role of chief minister and is using his influence with the party leadership for his selection to the top post in the state. His proximity to Rahul Gandhi is also well known and that may come in his favour. Party insiders, however, feel that Gandhi may want Venugopal to continue in the role at the national level as he has handled the party affairs well and he enjoys his confidence too. Satheesan, on the other hand, has the support of common workers in Kerala and some of them have taken to the streets while coming out in his support to occupy the top post in the state. Satheesan has also been the face of the party in the last few years. Chennithala is an old warhorse of the Congress and has been fighting for the party at the grassroots level for many years now and this may be his last chance to be at the helm. The Congress won 63 seats of its own in the 140-member assembly, while the United Democratic Front (UDF) alliance has won 102 seats staging a comeback in the southern state.