Chief Ministerial Dispute in Congress: Congress MLAs Say Controversies Fuelled by Media

New Delhi: As uncertainty continues within the Indian National Congress over the selection of Keralam’s next Chief Minister, party MLAs have blamed the media for amplifying the controversy surrounding the leadership tussle.

Congress legislators A P Anil Kumar and P C Vishnunath said the party leadership would take an appropriate decision and alleged that the ongoing uproar was largely being fuelled by media coverage.

Their remarks came at a time when the Congress high command has once again summoned senior leaders to New Delhi after failing to arrive at a consensus on the Chief Ministerial candidate a week after the election results.

The leadership race involving V D Satheesan, K C Venugopal, and Ramesh Chennithala has triggered widespread criticism and trolling on social media, with even party workers openly taking sides.

Responding to questions about growing dissatisfaction among MLAs and grassroots workers, the legislators argued that the perception of a crisis was being exaggerated. They maintained that leadership decisions naturally take time and pointed out that similar delays had occurred in the past as well.

Meanwhile, factional tensions within the party have spilled onto the streets, with supporters of rival leaders reportedly damaging flex boards and posters of Satheesan, Chennithala, and Venugopal.

Muslim League, which reportedly backed Satheesan, had also publicly criticised the Congress for delaying the leadership decision. However, senior Congress leaders including M M Hassan pushed back, asserting that the Chief Minister would be decided solely by the Congress high command and not by coalition partners.