Will KC Venugopal be Kerala’s next CM? Most Congress leaders back him at Rahul Gandhi meeting

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi held a meeting with former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs on Tuesday amid uncertainty over who will be the chief minister of Kerala, over a week after the party-led United Democratic Front (UDF) alliance won assembly elections in the state.

Kerala Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, and senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala have been among the top contenders for the chief minister post.

At least seven of the ten leaders present in the meeting backed KC Venugopal as the next Kerala CM, according to a report in Hindustan Times. VD Sateeshan, received the backing of two of the ten leaders, while one remained neutral.

The name of the third contender, senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, seems to have gone out of contention, the report said adding that Rahul Gandhi expressed concern about the road shows and displays of strength by warring factions within the Kerala Congress.

Former KPCC presidents Mullappally Ramachandran, MM Hassan, K Sudhakaran, VM Sudheeran, K Muraleedharan, A P Anilkumar, PC Vishnunath and Shafi Parambil have attended the meeting with Rahul Gadni in New Delhi to to finalise the next CM of the state.

"It is expected at the earliest. The high command can take an appropriate decision after necessary consultations," he said.

Earlier, speaking with reporters, Hassan avoided making any direct comments regarding the next Kerala Chief Minister and said the high command will decide after considering all aspects.

"The Congress high command asked us to come here for the discussion. I hope that the discussions will be held regarding the chief ministership. We are all requesting that the decision be announced. The high command will make a decision while considering all the aspects," he said.

It's been more than a week since the UDF won the Kerala assembly elections. Still, suspense continues over Congress's chief ministerial nominee for the state.

Assembly elections were held in Kerala along with West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. West Bengal, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu have their chief ministers. Himanta Biswa Sarma was sworn in as the chief minister of Assam today. However, the Congress party hasn't finalised its chief ministerial choice in Kerala yet.

The Congress has 63 MLAs in the 140-member Kerala Assembly. TheIndian Union Muslim League(IUML) has 22 legislators, and the alliance partner's opinion will matter. The Kerala Congress (KEC) has won eight seats, and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) has won three in the just-concluded polls. The UDF has won 102 seats, which is more than a two-thirds majority.

The term of the outgoing Kerala assembly ends on 23 May.