New Delhi: 10 days of suspense ends Congress VD Satheesan was finally elected as the next Chief Minister on Thursday Kerala The UDF’s sweeping victory in the assembly elections was followed by days of intense lobbying, marathon discussions and mounting pressure within the party.The Congress-led alliance returned to power in the state after almost a decade, ending the rule of the CPM-led Left Democratic Front.However, even after the UDF came back to power with 102 seats in the 140-member Kerala Assembly, the Congress was struggling to decide who would lead the government. After the election results were declared on 4 May, the suspense continued till 14 May, when the party finally declared VD Satheesan as the next Chief Minister of Kerala.For 10 days, Kerala’s politics revolved around one question: who will become the Chief Minister?What followed was a high-profile power struggle, with supporters marching on the streets, posters attacking rivals appearing in districts, alliance partners growing impatient and the BJP mocking the Congress over its ‘confusion’ despite securing a clear mandate.Leadership race has started with the strong comeback of UDFThe chaos began soon after the Congress-led UDF’s landslide victory in the Kerala Assembly elections on May 4, ending the CPM-led Left Democratic Front’s decade-long rule in the state.The Congress alone won 63 seats, while its key ally Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) secured 22 seats, taking the alliance’s tally to easily cross the majority.The victory was politically significant for the Congress, which had suffered setbacks in the 2016 and 2021 assembly elections. It also marked a generational change in Kerala Congress politics after the era of stalwarts like K Karunakaran, Oommen Chandy and AK Antony.Almost immediately after the results, the focus shifted from victory celebrations to the fight for the chief minister’s post.three camps emergeThree clear power centers rapidly emerged within the Congress in Kerala.VD Satheesan’s camp argued that he deserved the post as he led the UDF’s aggressive campaign against the LDF as the leader of the opposition and became the public face of the alliance’s comeback.How VenugopalSupporters claimed that he played a key role in strategy, coalition coordination and candidate selection and received the support of the majority of MLAs.Meanwhile, Ramesh Chennithala presented himself as the senior-most leader with administrative experience and organizational acceptability.Soon, Kerala saw a full-scale campaign by supporters of the three leaders.Flex boards, rallies and social media campaigns were seen in the districts supporting Satheesan, Venugopal and Chennithala. Supporters organized road shows and receptions, while rival camps talked about popularity, seniority, loyalty and grassroots support.Congress high command came forwardAs lobbying intensified, the Congress high command proceeded with caution.The party appointed senior leaders Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken as observers to seek opinion from MLAs and alliance leaders.On May 7, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) passed a resolution authorizing party president Mallikarjun Kharge to decide the legislature party leader, effectively handing over the final decision to Delhi.The observers held individual meetings with MLAs and senior leaders before submitting their reports to the leadership.Poster war and protests beganBy May 8 and May 9, the leadership contest had spilled over into the streets.Posters supporting Satheesan appeared across Kerala, especially in Ernakulam and other UDF strongholds. Similar campaigns in support of Venugopal and Chennithala also emerged in several districts.The internal friction soon turned ugly.Posters targeting KC Venugopal surfaced in Wandoor constituency, triggering discussions on Congress-IUML tension. Later, posters attacking Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra appeared in Wayanad, warning the high command against choosing Venugopal.A poster reportedly claims that Wayanad will become the ‘next Amethi’ if the wrong decision is taken.The public display of factionalism embarrassed the party leadership and tarnished the scale of the UDF’s historic victory.Even KPCC president Sunny Joseph admitted that the delay and internal tussle had affected the public perception of the victory.He said, “I accept this. But the dignity of victory will increase after the new government comes to power.”Congress leaders defend delay amid BJP attacksThe BJP and the LDF have repeatedly attacked the Congress, accusing it of being unable to reach a consensus despite winning a huge mandate in the assembly elections.Amid speculation over KC Venugopal’s name for the top post, Rajiv Chandrashekhar took to social media to mock the situation. Sharing a post claiming that “Kerala BJP wanted Venugopal in Kerala while national BJP wanted him in Delhi,” Chandrashekhar sarcastically replied, “I will neither confirm nor deny that this is true.”BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also took a dig at the Congress, claiming that the party is in ‘complete confusion’ despite securing absolute majority in Kerala.Taking a dig at the party’s internal tussle over the chief minister’s post, he said, “Congress has got full majority in Kerala and still there is confusion.”The BJP also compared the situation in Kerala with the Congress governments in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh and alleged that leadership disputes continued wherever the party was in power.Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at the Congress over the delay in naming the next Chief Minister of Kerala and accused the party leadership of ‘allegedly backstabbing its own leaders’ and indecision amid the long-running suspense over the CM face.As criticism mounted, Congress leaders repeatedly defended the delay and insisted the party was following the democratic process.Hitting back at BJP, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala reminded PM Modi that it took almost 50 days for BJP to decide the Chief Minister of Delhi earlier this year.“PM Modi should remember that it took him 50 days to announce the Chief Minister in Delhi. I have only now realized that the Prime Minister seems to have lost his memory.” The same Prime Minister who created uncertainty in Delhi by not announcing the Chief Minister for 50 days is now criticizing the Congress. The Prime Minister should not forget the past,” Chennithala said.Senior leader K Muraleedharan used several analogies to explain the prolonged suspense.Comparing the CM selection process to waiting for a train to arrive, he remarked, “There is no point in walking inside a moving train. The train has not reached the station yet.”Later, KPCC chief Sunny Joseph borrowed terminology from the Vatican, hinting at an imminent decision. “White smoke can be expected soon,” he said.IUML pressure increasesEven Congress allies started losing patience as the delay extended to more than a week.IUML, the Congress’s largest ally in Kerala, publicly said it would accept the high command’s decision, but several League leaders privately expressed concerns that prolonged indecision was sending the wrong message.Senior IUML leader PK Kunhalikutty described the delay in the democratic process as ‘natural’ but also indicated that the alliance expected clarity soon.The Congress leadership reportedly held several rounds of consultations with IUML leaders before finalizing the decision.Delhi became the center of actionAs Kerala waited, Delhi became the main center of the CM selection process.Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi held several discussions with Kerala leaders, former KPCC chiefs, MLAs and alliance representatives.Satheesan, Venugopal, Chennithala and Sunny Joseph were all called to the national capital for consultations.Party insiders indicated that the Congress leadership was trying to balance multiple factors, including public perception, MLA support, alliance dynamics, caste equations, organizational stability and future leadership changes.Final decision after 10 daysFinally on May 14, Congress ended the suspense.At a press conference in New Delhi, AICC Kerala in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi officially announced that VD Satheesan has been appointed Congress Legislature Party leader and will become the next Chief Minister of Kerala.The announcement came after extensive deliberations among Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Kharge, AICC observers, former KPCC chiefs, MPs and alliance partners.Satheesan, who looked emotional after the announcement, thanked the party leadership and dedicated his chief ministership to the people of Kerala.“I am overwhelmed by the confidence that the party and the people have shown in me,” he said.Calling it ‘a new era, a new Kerala’, Satheesan promised to address the state’s economic challenges and debt crisis.KC Venugopal publicly accepted the decision and promised full support to Satheesan and the new government.Venugopal said, “I am a loyal Congressman. For me, the party is everything. I do not want any image at the cost of the party.”Ramesh Chennithala also said that every Congress worker will stand by the decision of the high command.The 10-day delay turned the victorious return to power into one of the most watched internal battles of the Congress in recent years.
