Delay in naming Kerala CM causes unease within UDF; ally IUML says ball now in Congress’s court
Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress has yet to name Kerala’s next chief minister, even a week after its assembly election win.
This delay is causing unease within its biggest ally, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), as well as among the Congress-led front’s supporters and workers.
Earlier, IUML, Congress’s largest ally, publicly backed Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan for the CM post.
The IUML won 22 seats, securing 11.01 percent of the vote share in the recently concluded assembly elections. In total, the Congress-led United Democratic Front won 102 seats in the 140-member assembly. Of these, the Congress won 63 seats.
However, even after a week, the party’s CM announcement is still pending. Three leaders have staked their claim: AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, opposition leader V.D. Satheesan, and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala. Venugopal has most MLAs’ support.
However, IUML, along with Kerala Congress (Joseph), has backed Satheesan. Public sentiments, they say, favour the Leader of Opposition Satheesan.
An AICC leader, privy to the developments, told ThePrint that Rahul Gandhi would make the final decision and that an announcement was expected Monday evening or Tuesday morning.
The party earlier said the name would be announced Sunday (10 May), but it wasn’t.
Speaking to ThePrint, IUML’s Kerala general secretary P.M.A. Salam said the CM’s choice should be made soon. “We have expressed our opinion that AICC should decide on the chief minister based on ground support. Let them decide now. Once they announce, we will voice our opinion again.”
Salam said that UDF supporters, along with the public, were very upset about the high command’s delayed decision.
Two days after the election results, the AICC sent two leaders—AICC treasurer Ajay Maken and AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, whom it had appointed as observers—to hold one-on-one meetings with elected MLAs and Congress allies in Kerala.
Venugopal is said to have secured the support of more than 40 MLAs.
Meanwhile, the party high command met with Venugopal, Satheesan, and Chennithala in Delhi Saturday. The meeting lasted nearly four hours.
Afterwards, Deepa Dasmunshi, AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala, said that no final decision had been reached.
The leaders in contention, meanwhile, have urged their supporters to stop demonstrations and displaying posters in their favour.
The delay in announcing the CM, as well as the reports of Venugopal’s edge in the race, have upset party cadre and allies.
Muhammad Ali K.A., an IUML functionary, told ThePrint that the cadre wanted an MLA to become the chief minister. “There is nothing wrong with Satheesan and Chennithala claiming the post. Satheesan has been the Leader of Opposition, and Chennithala is a senior leader. But Venugopal didn’t even contest. It will set a bad precedent and create a bad impression for the party, too.”
Party sources said Venugopal, sitting Lok Sabha MP from Alappuzha, has been signalling interest in the CM’s post since last year. They added that he has been doing this through interventions in the party’s organisational matters. Venugopal purportedly played a key role in finalising the election candidates. Many of the winners have backed him as the chief minister.
Choosing Venugopal, however, will necessitate two elections in the state. One is an assembly bypoll to ensure that he is elected to the Kerala assembly. Second, a Lok Sabha by-election in Alappuzha, the constituency currently represented by the AICC leader, will, therefore, be necessitated.
Such a move would also mark a contradiction, as the Congress had earlier held that sitting MPs would not contest assembly polls.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Also Read: VD Satheesan, KC Venugopal or Ramesh Chennithala—who’ll be Congress’ CM pick in Kerala?
