KC Venugopal Leads Kerala CM Race, Congress May Finalise Name Tomorrow

Kerala CM nominee likely by tonight or tomorrow morning after Rahul Gandhi-led Congress talks. Venugopal, Satheesan and Chennithala in race as leadership consultations continue.

Venugopal, Satheesan and Chennithala in Kerala CM race as leadership consultations continue.

Source : X

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Congress to announce Kerala CM nominee Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
• Rahul Gandhi held consultations with Kerala Congress leaders in Delhi.

It seems that the spell on Kerala Chief Minister face finally is going to break as former state Congress chief K Muraleedharan said that the CM nominee is likely to be announced either on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. He said this after a round of high-level consultations led by Rahul Gandhi aimed at resolving the leadership deadlock.

Rahul Gandhi held one-on-one meetings with several senior Kerala Congress leaders at Sonia Gandhi’s 10, Janpath residence in New Delhi, as the party leadership intensified efforts to finalise the name amid ongoing internal deliberations.

“The final decision will come this evening or tomorrow morning. Kharge ji is returning from Bengaluru only in the evening. After he returns, another round of discussions will take place and they will also speak to Madam Sonia Gandhi. Then the decision will be finalised,” Muraleedharan said, as quoted by PTI.

Venugopal Vs Satheesan Vs Chennithala

The three frontrunners for the post are senior leaders Ramesh Chennithala, V D Satheesan and AICC general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal.

A series of senior leaders from Kerala participated in the consultations, including former KPCC chiefs M M Hassan, K Sudhakaran and Muraleedharan himself, along with Kerala Congress Disciplinary Committee head Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and working presidents Shafi Parambil, A P Anil Kumar and P C Vishnunath.

Former KPCC chief V M Sudheeran is also scheduled to meet Rahul Gandhi later, while Mullapally Ramachandran is expected to join the process via phone.

It is pertinent to mention that Venugopal has emerged as the frontrunner for the Kerala Chief Minister post following the UDF's 2026 Assembly election victory.

Uncertainity Looms

The decision on the next Kerala Chief Minister has been pending since May 4, after the Congress-led UDF secured 102 of the 140 seats in the Assembly, securing a decisive mandate.

Party observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik had earlier met MLAs to gather feedback, following which discussions were held with the three main contenders and KPCC president Sunny Joseph.

Muraleedharan had earlier noted that the decision would not be based solely on the opinion of MLAs, but would also consider views of UDF allies and the public. 

The Congress has 63 MLAs in the 140-member Assembly, with allies including the Indian Union Muslim League (22), Kerala Congress (8) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (3).

Rajeev Chandrasekhar Trolls Congress

Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar took a swipe at the Congress over its delay in naming a Chief Minister face, while also mocking the internal buzz around senior leader K C Venugopal’s political role.

Responding to a post on X that joked about differing “preferences” within the BJP over whether Venugopal should remain in Delhi or move to Kerala, Chandrasekhar added a sarcastic twist to the political chatter.

The post read: “Hilarious tough fight between Kerala BJP and national BJP. Kerala BJP wants KC Venugopal in Kerala, national BJP wants KC Venugopal in Delhi.”

Quoting it, Chandrasekhar replied, “My response – I will neither confirm nor deny that this is true.”