Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: With the Congress-led LDF securing a majority and on course to form a government in Kerala after more than a decade, attention has now shifted to who will become the state’s next chief minister. Several names have reportedly been discussed, including key Kerala Congress leader V D Satheesan and Congress general secretary K C Venugopal. And if a list shared by BJP’s Kerala unit is any indication, the party may have already made its choice.The photograph shows a document in the possession of AICC observer Mukul Wasnik during the Congress Legislature Party consultations. Shared on BJP Keralam’s official X account, the list is being interpreted as suggesting that a majority of legislators support Venugopal for the top post.Sharing the image, BJP Keralam wrote on X: “The ink on the ballot isn’t even dry, and the Congress ‘Culture of Greed’ is already choking Keralam. While the state waits for governance, Congress ‘leaders’ are busy waging poster wars, leaking MLA lists, and counting heads for the CM chair.”“A party that can’t even pick a CM without a street fight will never be fit to lead this state,” the BJP unit added.Several MLAs, including Sandeep Varier, Sajeev Joseph, T O Mohanan, Sunny Joseph, Usha Vijayan and T Siddique, were marked with the initials “KC” on the leaked list, which is being interpreted as support for Congress general secretary K C Venugopal in the race for Kerala chief minister. The initials “KC+RC” were allegedly written against the name of I C Balakrishnan, with “RC” seen as a reference to senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, another contender for the post.However, Uduma MLA K Neelakandan claimed that the space next to his name in the list had been left blank despite him conveying his preference to AICC observers Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken.“I saw the photograph. I do not know why my preference was not recorded. I have sent an email to AICC leaders Wasnik and Maken in this regard and lodged my complaint,” Neelakandan told PTI.He further said the omission could create a “wrong impression” among party leaders and the public that he had not expressed his opinion during the consultation process. “I spoke to the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly this morning and he was convinced about it,” he added, while declining to disclose whom he had supported for the post.At present, V D Satheesan, Venugopal and Chennithala are being considered the main contenders for the chief minister’s post. The Congress has 63 MLAs in the Assembly, while the UDF secured 102 seats in the 140-member House.
