Kerala CM suspense continues as Congress delays decision
Uncertainty over Kerala’s next chief minister continued as the Congress delayed its decision despite holding talks with key contenders. Indian Union Muslim League expressed frustration, warning prolonged indecision could trigger political repercussions within the Congress-led UDF alliance in the state
New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: The suspense and speculation over who would be the next chief minister of Kerala continued on Monday with the delay in the decision by the Congress irking key UDF constituent IUML, which warned that prolonged uncertainty on the matter could have political repercussions.
This is not the first time the Congress has kept the decision on picking a chief minister hanging. Intense lobbying was witnessed when the Congress won the Karnataka polls in 2023, with the two top contenders Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar lobbying hard for the top post. Finally, a compromise was reached, and Siddaramaiah was named the chief minister with Shivakumar as his deputy. Such lobbying and delay were also witnessed in 2018, when the Congress won Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
While Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia were chief minister aspirants in Madhya Pradesh, Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot were the front-runners in Rajasthan. Eventually, a compromise was reached after days of uncertainty, and while Kamal Nath was chosen in Madhya Pradesh, Gehlot got the top job in Rajasthan with Pilot as his deputy.
On Monday, uncertainty continued within the Congress over the selection of Kerala’s next chief minister, two days after party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi held discussions with the three contenders for the top post senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal and leader of opposition in the outgoing Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Sunny Joseph and AICC general secretary in charge of the southern state, Deepa Dasmunsi, also attended the meeting. Party leaders in Thiruvananthapuram indicated that a decision is expected after Kharge meets senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on the leadership issue.
They also indicated that the high command is waiting for the political atmosphere in Kerala, which witnessed demonstrations and poster wars between the supporters of Satheesan and Venugopal last week, to calm down before making an announcement.
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key constituent of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala, has expressed strong displeasure over the delay in picking the chief minister, warning that prolonged uncertainty could have political repercussions.
IUML’s Malappuram district general secretary P Abdul Hameed said the delay had already caused dissatisfaction among the party workers and the public. “The decision has already been delayed. If it is prolonged further, there will be repercussions. We hope the AICC leadership realises this,” he told reporters.
People across the state were questioning the delay, he said, claiming that even women voters from the district were calling party leaders to ask why they had been made to vote for the UDF. “There is dissatisfaction everywhere. People are raising only this issue wherever we go, including marriage functions and funerals,” Hameed said.
He added that Kerala was politically different from north Indian states and that such prolonged indecision would not be accepted by its politically aware voters. Asked about the delay, a senior Congress leader, who did not wish to be named, said, “The Assembly expires only on May 23. So there is no hurry why worry?” Meanwhile, Chennithala said that whatever decision the party high command makes would be accepted by all Congress and UDF workers in Kerala. “We have conveyed to the high command whatever we had to say. They have heard everything. Now it is for them to decide,” Chennithala told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram after returning from New Delhi. He also said the delay was part of a democratic process.
“All the discussions have been completed. We are not taking as much time as the Left Front took last time,” Chennithala said.
On the BJP’s criticism on the issue, Chennithala had said on Sunday that there was no need to respond when the saffron party itself took days to decide on its CM pick in Delhi. After the 2025 Delhi elections, the BJP came under attack from the opposition parties over the delay in announcing its chief minister candidate.
Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan compared the ongoing uncertainty in Kerala to a train journey.
“There is no point in walking inside a moving train. The train has not yet reached the station. One can get down only after it reaches the station,” he told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram. “Sometimes, due to adverse weather conditions, a train may get delayed in reaching the station,” he said, extending the analogy to the ongoing deliberations within the party. He also acknowledged that the delay has caused unease among the public. The Congress has 63 MLAs in the 140-member Kerala Assembly. The IUML has 22, and its opinion will matter.
The Kerala Congress (KEC) has won eight seats and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) three in the just-concluded polls. The UDF has won a total of 102 seats, which is more than a two-thirds majority.
