Supporters rally for V D Satheesan as Kerala CM race intensifies

Supporters of V D Satheesan staged demonstrations in Kochi demanding he be made Kerala’s next Chief Minister as Congress observers consulted MLAs on leadership selection. Satheesan, K C Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala are among the frontrunners for the post

Kochi: Supporters of V D Satheesan held a demonstration here on Thursday, demanding that he be made the next Chief Minister of Kerala at Nettoor. The demonstration was held as AICC observers conducted the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting and held individual discussions with 63 Congress MLAs in Thiruvananthapuram to gather their views on the selection of the chief minister. Nettoor is the native place of Satheesan, who was a prominent face of the UDF campaign in the Assembly elections in which the front won 102 seats.

The demonstrators carried a huge flex board with the slogan: “Whoever led the election battle should rule the state.” There are reports that a section of MLAs is supporting MP K C Venugopal for the chief minister’s post even though he did not contest the Assembly election. Apart from Kochi, his supporters have announced similar demonstrations across the state.

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Satheesan won the election from the North Paravoor constituency in Ernakulam district. At present, Satheesan, Venugopal and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala are being considered for the chief minister’s post.