Congress struggles to break Kerala CM impasse, tussle continues over top post contenders

More than a week after the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) returned to power in Kerala with a decisive mandate, the suspense over the next Chief Minister seems far from over. After a series of marathon meetings in Delhi, the Congress leadership is expected to announce its final decision today. Senior leaders from Kerala spent the entire day in consultations with the party high command as the race for the top post entered its final stage.

According to various reports, the discussions have now narrowed down to three main contenders KC Venugopal, V D Satheesan and Ramesh



Chennithala.

The Congress-led UDF stormed back to power on May 4, ending a decade of Left rule in the state by winning 102 seats in the 140-member assembly. But even after the clear mandate, the party has struggled to quickly settle the leadership question, exposing internal lobbying and factional equations within the Kerala Congress unit.

Over the past few days, several senior leaders were called to Delhi for consultations. Former Kerala Congress chiefs, senior MLAs and working presidents met central observers and top leadership to give their views on who should lead the new government.