Congress Prepares to Announce Kerala's Next Chief Minister
Exciting Developments for KC Venugopal
KC Venugopal, the AICC General Secretary (Organization), has received promising news. According to party insiders, during personal meetings held on Thursday with central observers from the AICC, 47 out of 63 elected Congress legislators, including KPCC President Sani Joseph, endorsed his name as the next Chief Minister of Kerala. The party's high command is expected to announce the candidate for the Chief Minister position by the end of this week.
Support for Venugopal Grows
In addition to Sani, newly elected legislators such as Sandeep G. Verier, Sajeev Joseph, T.O. Mohan, and Usha Vijayan have also proposed Venugopal's name. Another contender for the top position, Ramesh Chennithala, faced a setback when his close associate I.C. Balakrishnan expressed support for both Venugopal and Chennithala. Reports indicate that the former opposition leader has backing from eight newly elected legislators, while the current opposition leader, V.D. Satishan, who is also a popular candidate for the role, has the support of six legislators. Both Satishan and Chennithala have met with the observers to present their candidacies, although Venugopal was absent from the meeting.
Consultations with Senior Leaders
Beyond the 63 legislators, Maken and Vasanik have been engaging with Congress MPs and senior party leaders to gather their opinions. While three former KPCC presidents have backed Satishan, several senior leaders have shown support for Venugopal. The observers, who have returned to New Delhi, will submit their report to party president Mallikarjun Kharge. Sources suggest that if necessary, the high command may call Sani, the three KPCC executive presidents, along with Satishan and Chennithala for further discussions.
Consensus on Chief Minister Nomination
Meanwhile, during a meeting of the Congress legislative party, Kharge was unanimously granted the authority to nominate the next Chief Minister. Sources indicate that after completing all formalities, the high command will announce the new Chief Minister by Saturday or Sunday. The newly appointed Chief Minister, along with two senior Congress leaders and leaders from other UDF constituent parties, is expected to take the oath within two days of the announcement.