Kerala.
This came even as the UDF alliance swept the assembly elections, yet the Congress remained mired in bitter internal feuding for days after the results were declared. The impasse makes Kerala the only state among the four that held assembly elections this year without a chief minister.
Responding to a user on
A post shared by a netizen said, “Ridiculously tight fight between Kerala BJP and National BJP. Kerala BJP wants KC Venugopal in Kerala, National BJP wants KC Venugopal in Delhi.”
Quoting the post, Chandrashekhar wrote, ‘My response – I will neither confirm nor deny that this is true.’
The exchange immediately attracted attention online as the Congress leadership in Kerala continues to struggle to build a consensus on its chief ministerial candidate despite the UDF securing 102 seats in the 140-member Kerala Assembly earlier this month.
Three senior Congress leaders have emerged as frontrunners for the post: Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, leader of opposition VD Satheesan and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala. The leadership race has triggered intense lobbying within the party, with supporters from all three camps engaged in poster campaigns, public messaging and online battles.
While Satheesan and Chennithala contested the assembly elections, Venugopal, who is currently a Member of Parliament and a key figure in the Congress high command, has also emerged as a serious contender, turning the race into a triangular fight.
According to Congress sources, it is believed that most of the MLAs are supporting Venugopal. However, Satheesan enjoys significant support among party workers, while Chennithala already remains in contention after being seen as a strong chief ministerial prospect in the 2021 assembly elections.
Even as the three leaders have publicly appealed to supporters to avoid factionalism and public displays of strength, the power struggle within the Congress continues, delaying the announcement of Kerala’s next chief minister while other states, which went to polls earlier this month, have already installed their governments.
