Just days after voting in Kerala wrapped up, the race for the post of chief minister has begun within the Congress, which assesses that the tide will be in its favour.
Top contenders leading the race are opposition leader V D Satheesan (61), former opposition leader and working committee member Ramesh Chennithala (69), and AICC general secretary (organisational matters) K C Venugopal (63). Satheesan and Chennithala have contested the elections, while Venugopal is a Lok Sabha member from Alappuzha.
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During electioneering, the Congress had kept its CM plans close to its chest, with the party arguing that the high command would take a call after the polls. The apprehension was that the leadership race could lead to heartburn and protests, upsetting the prospects of the party-led UDF.
However, after votes were cast on April 9, contenders for the top slot began a concerted push for the post. On social media platforms, intense campaigning is on, mainly for Satheesan and Venugopal. Venugopal, who is seen as someone close to Rahul Gandhi, is being projected as “a real leader, who led the party and devised its election strategies, navigating several crises”.
While speaking to the media, KPCC president Sunny Joseph, who is also in the electoral fray, did not deny Venugopal’s chances. “AICC has a procedure. Many names may come (for the post of the CM). The decision is not taken based on the majority opinion of MLAs. At the same time, their opinions will be sought,” said Sunny, who became KPCC president last year with Venugopal’s backing.
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In Ernakulam, which is the home district of another contender, Satheesan, DCC president Muhammed Shiyas said, “The next CM will be from Ernakulam district. We are looking forward to a CM from Ernakulam. It is up to the party to take the decision,” he said, ostensibly with Satheesan in mind.
Chennithala on Tuesday told the media, “Kerala will give a massive verdict for UDF, I will give its full credit to Rahul Gandhi. He has led the campaign, fostered unity among the leaders, and monitored electioneering. The party high command will decide who will be the chief minister. We need not debate it in Kerala. Do not take social media seriously,” he said.
Satheesan is being highlighted as a leader who reflects the sentiments and verve of the new generation. His aggressive leadership of the UDF campaign, marked by his direct attacks on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has also helped recast him as a formidable leader.
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Chennithala is the most senior leader among the three contenders. He had been the opposition leader from 2016 to 2021 and should have been the natural choice for the post of CM had the party won in 2021. But Chennithala had to vacate the position after the Congress failed to return to power in the 2021 assembly elections. The Chennithala camp remains hopeful that the senior leader will emerge as the winner. “He is the most senior among them, and we are hopeful that the party will give him a chance. Both Satheesan and Venugopal had been his loyalists, and it was Chennithala who nurtured them in the Congress. Many of his peers at the national level had become chief ministers elsewhere,” said a party leader from the Chennithala camp.
Several veteran leaders, like P J Kurian, have already openly favoured Chennithala, but what will be crucial is the stance of the legislators, most of whom are loyalists of Satheesan or Venugopal.
In the past, the power struggle within the Congress was between leaders belonging to the Hindu and Christian communities (K Karunakaran vs A K Antony, Oommen Chandy vs Chennithala). After Chandy’s death, the equations changed, and Congress politics in Kerala got realigned. At present, the three contenders for the CM post belong to the upper-caste Nair community.
Congress regimes in Kerala have been riddled with internal conflicts, and party chief ministers in recent decades rarely enjoyed a full five-year term. The last Congress regime from 2011 to 2016 was tumultuous, marked by a power struggle and intense lobbying for the CM post. While Chandy assumed office as CM, the rival group led by Chennithala later lobbied for the slot. His Hindu Nair community outfit, the NSS, also demanded that Chennithala be given a key post. Although Chandy managed to complete five years in office, his term was turbulent, with scandals and scams that often stemmed from factionalism in the Congress. After the Congress regime of 1982–87 led by K Karunakaran, Chandy was the only Congress CM in Kerala lucky enough to complete a full five years.