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NEW DELHI: Days aft securing a monolithic triumph successful the Kerala assembly election, Congress is yet to finalise its prime for main minister.Three elder leaders are successful the contention — V D Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala and K C Venugopal. All 3 were successful Delhi arsenic of Saturday, with Congress precocious bid holding meetings done the week.
A last determination is expected wrong 24 hours.The past clip Congress held powerfulness successful Kerala was nether Oommen Chandy, whose authorities ended successful 2016. Chandy, who passed distant successful July 2024, remains 1 of the astir revered figures successful Kerala Congress politics. That made it each the much striking this week erstwhile a flex committee carrying his representation alongside Venugopal’s was torn down and splashed with achromatic lipid by rival supporters.Who are the contenders?V D SatheesanVeteran Congress person V D Satheesan is wide seen arsenic the frontrunner successful the main ministerial race.
A five-time MLA from Paravur successful Ernakulam district, Satheesan has been vocal astir his assertion to the post, and the broader governmental temper successful the authorities appears to favour him.UDF allies are besides powerfully backing Satheesan, crediting him for starring the absorption run against Left government.Congress person K P Noushad made the lawsuit for him arsenic well. “V D Satheesan’s publication has been important arsenic Leader of the Opposition and UDF chairman, making him people the frontrunner,” helium said.
Ramesh ChennithalaRamesh Chennithala remains a elder person whose acquisition commands respect. However, helium besides led UDF during its broad decision successful the 2021 assembly predetermination — a setback that yet led to his replacement arsenic Leader of the Opposition by Satheesan.Reversing that determination now, aft Satheesan has delivered an electoral victory, could rise uncomfortable questions wrong the enactment implicit whether seniority is being prioritised implicit performance.Chennithala met Sonia Gandhi successful Delhi earlier this week arsenic consultations intensified. But the representation of the 2021 decision continues to measurement connected his prospects, with rival camps repeatedly reminding precocious bid of the nonaccomplishment nether his leadership.K C VenugopalCongress wide caput (organisation) K C Venugopal has besides emerged arsenic a beardown contender successful Kerala’s main ministerial race. Venugopal enjoys the spot of enactment precocious bid and has go 1 of Rahul Gandhi’s closest organisational aides successful caller years.Besides overseeing enactment affairs, helium besides handles level coordination successful Parliament and maintains connection with INDIA bloc allies.However, questions stay implicit whether Rahul Gandhi tin spend to spare Venugopal from his existent organisational role. Another origin moving against him is that helium did not contention the assembly elections.Legally, Venugopal tin inactive go main curate and participate the assembly wrong six months done a bypoll.
But Congress had earlier taken a principled basal that nary sitting MP would contention the assembly election.Party sources told PTI that the last telephone connected whether an MP tin beryllium made main curate rests with precocious command.A 4th sanction —
Shashi Tharoor
— has besides surfaced successful Delhi circles, though helium is inactive mostly viewed arsenic a nationalist fig alternatively than idiosyncratic profoundly progressive successful authorities administration.KPCC issues notices to 15 leadersAmid escalating tensions implicit the enactment issue, Congress has initiated disciplinary proceedings against leaders who organised nationalist demonstrations successful enactment of Satheesan.KPCC issued show-cause notices to astir 15 leaders for allegedly defying directives from precocious command.KPCC president
Sunny Joseph
is learnt to person submitted a study to AICC wide caput Deepa Dasmunshi highlighting what the enactment described arsenic “serious indiscipline” by leaders who organised protestation marches contempt wide instructions from AICC and KPCC.Those served notices see KPCC subordinate Chempazhanthy Anil and INTUC Thiruvananthapuram territory president V R Prathapan.
Others see Kaimanam Prabhakaran, T Sanaj, Attingal Unnikrishnan and Ambiraj. Some leaders from Idukki territory person besides received notices.Protests successful enactment of Satheesan continued connected Saturday.Meanwhile, Congress workers crossed Kerala began removing flex boards and posters enactment up successful enactment of Satheesan, Venugopal and Chennithala aft the 3 leaders jointly appealed to supporters to extremity nationalist campaigns linked to the main ministerial selection.What's adjacent Soon aft the predetermination results, Kerala Congress passed a solution authorising the precocious bid to determine the main ministerial pick. The determination present rests with the All India Congress Committee (AICC) leadership.Satheesan, Chennithala and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph flew to Delhi connected Friday night. Venugopal, who is based successful the capital, was already there. Congress observers person submitted their study to enactment president Mallikarjun Kharge.Congress brainstorming sessionCongress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi held brainstorming sessions connected Saturday.The gathering was convened by Kharge astatine his residence, wherever Rahul Gandhi, Dasmunshi, K C Venugopal, and elder Kerala leaders Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan were present, too Kerala Congress portion main Sunny Joseph and elder observers, Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik.Sources said the enactment was keen to debar displeasing leaders near retired of the contention and was trying to germinate a consensus.
“Otherwise, the determination would person been announced by now,” a root said. Sonia Gandhi was besides consulted by Kharge and Rahul Gandhi during the deliberations.Top enactment is besides learnt to person pulled up authorities leaders for allowing nationalist campaigns successful favour of idiosyncratic contenders.AICC wide caput in-charge of the authorities Deepa Dasmunshi said, "Very soon, successful owed time, we volition get our last determination by our precocious command,""23rd May is the past day. I deliberation successful owed time, we volition get the last determination by our precocious bid and we are waiting for that. In owed time, the owed people of enactment volition beryllium taken. The last determination has to beryllium taken by the precocious command," she said.
