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Kerala's next CM hangs in the balance; Satheesan, Venugopal, Chennithala form 3-way race
Party workers from Congress and allied partners are dissatisfied over intense fights between the three groups, each pitching for its own leader to become Kerala's next chief minister
- PUBLISHED: Sun 10 May 2026, 4:34 PM
Even a week after the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) emerged victorious in the Kerala assembly elections, winning 102 seats in the 140-member legislature, it has still failed to finalise the chief minister from among the three congressmen who are in the race.
Workers from the Congress and its alliance partners are dissatisfied over the intense fights between the three groups, each pitching for its own leader.
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Deepa Dasmunsi, the Congress general secretary in charge of Kerala, told reporters on Sunday that “an appropriate decision will be taken by the high command in due course.” The party high command has time till May 23 to finalise the chief minister, she added.
Along with other senior Congress leaders in the state, Dasmunsi appealed to party workers to refrain from embarrassing public displays of their favourites for the top post. All the leaders urged workers to pull down banners and posters backing their leaders.
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Groups of Congress workers have been organising street protests and poster wars while pitching for their leaders. The Congress has 63 legislators, while major partners including the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which has 22 seats, and the Kerala Congress (eight) contribute to its total of 102 seats, giving a two-thirds majority in the state.
The ongoing fight in Kerala is between three top congressmen: V.D. Satheesan, who is seen as the person behind the party’s victory in the state; AICC general secretary and MP K.C. Venugopal; and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala.
The party high command has been asked to select the state’s chief minister, but there are worries that those unhappy with the selection might end up creating problems for the party.
Party leader Rahul Gandhi and president Mallikarjun Kharge have been interacting with the three contenders over the past few days, along with two other observers, Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik. But their efforts have failed to bring the three factions together. Rahul and Kharge have also urged the various factions to pull down the posters
According to party sources, K.C. Venugopal is Rahul’s choice for the chief minister’s post. He is the MP from Alappuzha Lok Sabha seat. But the Delhi-based parliamentarian is not on good terms with state Congress leaders, which is adding to the complexities.
Satheesan’s backers refer to his performance as an effective leader of the opposition in the assembly over the past five years, which resulted in the ouster of the Left Democratic Front led by outgoing chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
