'Don’t Know Why Chennithala Went to Delhi; High Command Will Decide CM': Sunny Joseph

Thiruvananthapuram: Despite securing victory in the Assembly elections, the Indian National Congress continues to witness an intense internal tussle over the Chief Minister’s post in Kerala.

KPCC president Sunny Joseph reiterated that the final decision on the Chief Minister will be taken by the party high command. A meeting of the Congress Legislature Party is scheduled for Thursday. Responding to media queries, he said he was unaware of the reasons behind senior leader Ramesh Chennithala’s sudden visit to Delhi amid the ongoing discussions.

Behind the scenes, intense lobbying is underway, with K C Venugopal, Chennithala, and V D Satheesan working to secure the backing of newly elected MLAs. The Venugopal camp claims to have the support of a majority of legislators. However, the party leadership is reportedly cautious about sidelining Chennithala, given his seniority, even if he does not command the largest bloc of support.

Satheesan, who is said to have the backing of a smaller group of MLAs, is strengthening his position by mobilising support from alliance partners, including the Muslim League, which has openly declared its support for him. Efforts are also underway to bring other coalition partners on board.

Meanwhile, factions within the party, including those aligned with K. Sudhakaran, may extend conditional support to Venugopal. Sudhakaran himself has reportedly held discussions with senior leaders such as A. K. Antony and K. Muraleedharan to consolidate backing for Venugopal.

The Congress high command has appointed Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken as observers to oversee the process and facilitate a consensus decision.