Congress Simmers With Discontent Over Pre-Result CM Race

Thiruvananthapuram: Simmering discontent has broken out within the Congress in Keralam over a premature scramble for the Chief Minister's post, even before assembly election results are declared. Karunagappally MLA C R Mahesh took an indirect but pointed swipe at party leadership in a Facebook post, invoking a folk saying: "When the mango ripens, the crow gets a sore in its mouth — my grandmother used to say that. Let us hope it doesn't come to that." The allusion to leaders salivating prematurely over power was not lost on observers.

K Muraleedharan also called for immediate restraint, saying there was no need for such discussions at this stage and that leaders must step back from moves that embarrass the party. "It is wrong for anyone to post in support of any political leader right now. The High Command will decide the parliamentary party leader after the results come in on the 4th. There is no need to create a scene now. Don't give people reason to talk," he said.

The friction was triggered after K Sudhakaran lauded AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal in a facebook post, with Sandeep Warrier following suit shortly after with similar praise for Venugopal. The back-to-back endorsements have been widely read as positioning moves ahead of the results, setting off what has now become a visible intra-party contest — one that several senior leaders fear could damage the party's image at a critical juncture.