Kerala Government Formation: Congress MLAs Back KC Venugopal, Final Decision Awaited

The race for the Chief Minister's post in Kerala has intensified within the Indian National Congress after the party-led UDF alliance secured a strong comeback victory in the Assembly elections. While the final decision is yet to be announced, sources indicated that senior Congress leader K C Venugopal has emerged as the frontrunner for the top position with the backing of a majority of newly elected MLAs.

According to party sources, 53 of the 63 Congress MLAs shared their preferences with the party observers, while 10 legislators left the decision entirely to the Congress high command. Out of those who expressed an opinion, 43 MLAs reportedly supported K C Venugopal for the Chief Minister's role. A handful of legislators also mentioned names such as V D Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala alongside Venugopal.

To gather feedback from elected representatives, Congress observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik met MLAs and MPs in Kerala before submitting their report to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on Friday. The observers reportedly urged the party leadership to take a final call soon.

While Venugopal appears to enjoy strong support within the legislature party, sources said public sentiment in Kerala is largely favouring V D Satheesan, who served as Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly. Ramesh Chennithala also remains in contention as the Congress leadership weighs political and organisational factors before making an announcement.

Sources further said Kharge has called all three senior leaders for consultations before finalising the Chief Ministerial candidate. Venugopal's close association with Rahul Gandhi is believed to be an important factor in the internal discussions. With Priyanka Gandhi Vadra currently representing Kerala in Parliament, both Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi are expected to play key roles in the final decision.

The Congress won 63 seats in the 140-member Assembly, while the UDF alliance secured a commanding 102-seat majority, paving the way for the coalition's return to power in Kerala.