Kerala's Leadership Tussle: Who Will Be the Next Chief Minister?

A week after the UDF's victory in Kerala polls, the Congress faces challenges in forming the government and selecting a chief minister. Potential candidates include Venugopal, Satheesan, and Chennithala. Leadership discussions in Delhi involve former KPCC presidents, while Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will finalize the selection.

A week after the Assembly poll results in Kerala handed a significant victory to the United Democratic Front (UDF), the Congress leadership faces the formidable task of establishing a new government. Key discussions are underway regarding the appointment of the next chief minister for the southern state.

In order to resolve the leadership impasse, sources indicate that high-level meetings involving former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) presidents are being arranged. Those summoned by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to Delhi for these pivotal discussions include prominent voices such as M M Hassan, V M Sudheeran, and K Muraleedharan, among others.

Leadership figures like Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are poised to play critical roles in the decision-making process, with K C Venugopal, V D Satheesan, and Ramesh Chennithala emerging as top contenders for the role. With a firm resolution imminent, the UDF aims to maintain cohesion within its sizeable majority in the Kerala Assembly.