Kerala Government formation LIVE: Impasse over chief ministerial candidate in Congress

55 minutes ago 11

Kerala Congress leaders leave from the party president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence after the Kerala Congress meeting, in New Delh, on May 9, 2026i. | Photo Credit: ANI

Uncertainty continued to loom over the Congress’s Chief Minister pick for Kerala, with the party’s high command yet to take a final call following marathon discussions with the State leadership in New Delhi.

The Congress’s bid to name a Chief Minister for Kerala remained at an impasse despite Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi holding consultations with the three main contenders, AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal and senior leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V.D. Satheesan, and KPCC president Sunny Joseph for over three hours on Saturday (May 9, 2026).

AICC observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik were also present at the meeting. The consultations were held together and individually.

Follow our live updates

May 11, 2026 09:12
CM selection a democratic process: Chennithala
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala yesterday hit out at the BJP amid ongoing deliberations over the selection of Kerala’s next Chief Minister, saying the grand old party does not function on instructions from Nagpur.
Mr. Chennithala, who is among the main contenders for the Chief Minister’s post along with V.D. Satheesan and K.C. Venugopal, defended the time taken by the Congress leadership to arrive at a consensus, noting that only five days had passed since the declaration of the Assembly election results.
Read more:
CM selection a democratic process: Chennithala
Ramesh Chennithala defends Congress's democratic CM selection process, criticizing BJP's centralized decision-making and recent delays.
May 11, 2026 09:11
Final decision on Kerala CM turns into political cliff-hanger as ball now in Congress High Command’s court
The decision on Congress’ Chief Minister in Kerala seemed to assume the contours of a political cliff-hanger on Friday (May 8, 2026). The question of who among the purported three Chief Minister probables – Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal, and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala – would make the cut appeared set to go down to the wire, with party High Command reportedly scheduled to make the pivotal announcement on Sunday (May 10, 2026).
Final decision on Kerala CM turns into political cliff-hanger as ball now in Congress High Command’s court
The Congress party's decision on Kerala's Chief Minister remains uncertain, with three contenders and a looming announcement from leadership.