Kerala CM race enters day 7 as Congress camps flex muscle in Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram
Seven days after the Kerala Assembly election results, the Congress still has not named its chief minister. As a result, uncertainty now hangs over the Congress-led alliance despite its sweeping victory in the state.
While other states that voted in the same election cycle already swore in their chief ministers, Kerala continues to wait. Inside the Congress, rival camps now push aggressively for their preferred candidates. Outside party offices, posters, banners and public messaging campaigns have intensified the power struggle.
The Congress leadership in Delhi spent the weekend in back-to-back meetings. However, the party high command avoided any formal announcement. Senior leaders now indicate that Monday could prove decisive.
At the centre of the contest stand three major names — KC Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala and VD Satheesan. Party insiders say most MLAs favour Venugopal because of his organisational influence and close links with the central leadership. On the other hand, many workers and supporters view Satheesan as the alliance’s strongest public face after the election campaign.
That divide now shapes the internal debate. One camp wants legislative backing to decide the chief minister. Another camp argues that public appeal should matter more after such a massive electoral victory.
In Thiruvananthapuram, Congress workers gathered outside party offices through the weekend. Flex boards supporting different leaders appeared across key roads and intersections. Supporters shouted slogans and distributed sweets while trying to project momentum for their candidates.
The same political theatre unfolded in Delhi. Posters backing Venugopal surfaced near the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Meanwhile, student groups and youth workers welcomed Satheesan at the airport and openly backed his candidature.
Despite the visible factional activity, senior leaders attempted to calm tensions in public. After a high-level meeting in Delhi, Chennithala said every leader shared opinions before the high command and accepted its authority to take the final call.
Satheesan also urged workers to stop demonstrations and social media campaigns linked to the chief minister race. According to him, such displays create an impression of division and weaken the morale of Congress workers who fought the election together.
Venugopal echoed that message. He reminded party members that voters handed the United Democratic Front a massive mandate and now expect stable governance instead of internal competition.
Congress observer Deepa Dasmunshi said the leadership would announce the decision “very soon.” She also confirmed that all Congress MLAs signed a resolution authorising the high command to choose the leader.
Still, the delay has handed ammunition to political rivals. The BJP and CPI(M) both mocked the Congress over the prolonged suspense. Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar reacted sarcastically to speculation around Venugopal’s role and fuelled further political chatter online.
Senior CPI(M) leader K. K. Shailaja described the Congress power struggle as a “musical chair game.” She questioned whether a divided alliance could run a stable government after such a public internal battle.
On the ground, however, many Congress supporters still remain hopeful. Outside the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee office, workers said the alliance must quickly move beyond internal rivalry and focus on governance. Several first-time voters also expressed frustration over the delay, arguing that the state now expects cabinet formation and policy decisions instead of leadership uncertainty.
The Congress-led UDF secured 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly and returned to power with a commanding majority. The Congress itself won 63 seats, while allies such as the Indian Union Muslim League and Kerala Congress strengthened the coalition’s numbers further.
Yet, despite that decisive mandate, the alliance still waits for one answer — who will finally lead Kerala’s next government.
