Published Mar 28, 2026 | 11:44 AM ⚊ Updated Mar 28, 2026 | 11:44 AM
For all the noise, the party has not changed its formal position — no CM candidate before elections.
Synopsis: Congress party in Kerala finds itself pulled back into an uncomfortable but familiar debate over who would lead the government if the UDF wins in 2026 — a question it has tried to sidestep during the ongoing high-stakes election campaign. While the official stance remains that the leadership decision will come only after the results, the chatter on the ground and within party ranks suggests the matter is far from settled, with the timing of the debate threatening to distract from the Congress’s broader campaign against the ruling LDF.
There’s a question the Congress in Kerala really didn’t want to get into this time, especially not in the middle of an election where it is waging a ‘do-or-die battle.’
But here it is — Who will be Chief Minister if the United Democratic Front (UDF) wins in 2026?
For weeks, there was a clear attempt to keep it aside, to sweep it under the carpet. But it hasn’t stayed there. It never really does.
It’s the elephant in the room — too large, too obvious — and despite all the effort to avoid it, it’s now right at the centre again, louder and a bit messier than the party would have liked.
The absence of towering figures like Oommen Chandy and AK Antony has left a space the party hasn’t quite figured out how to fill.
Maybe that’s why this question feels bigger now, heavier than before — back in the conversation, impossible to ignore, almost forcing itself into every discussion.
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P J Kurian, during the Thiruvalla election campaign meet
The latest trigger came from veteran leader PJ Kurien, who perhaps said out loud what many in the party discuss quietly.
At a UDF convention in Thiruvalla, on 25 March, Kurien pointed to Ramesh Chennithala seated beside him and declared he had “no doubt” Chennithala would be Chief Minister when the UDF returns to power.
There was even a touch of theatre — a prediction about who would sit where on the Treasury benches after victory.
It was not a stray line. It landed with intent.
The remark travelled fast. Clips went viral. Television panels picked it up. And within hours, what the Congress had tried to keep contained was back in the open — speculation, alignment, and quiet discomfort.
Kurien’s comment didn’t come in isolation either.
Just a few days ago, Kannur MP and senior leader K Sudhakaran had publicly said Chennithala would be his choice for the top post if the UDF wins.
That gave the impression — fair or not — of a section within the party nudging the conversation in a particular direction.
V D Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala
At the centre of this churn are three names, none new.
Chennithala, the senior-most among them, brings experience — former Opposition Leader, long organisational innings, and a certain acceptability across factions. He has, predictably, played it safe. Publicly, he says the focus is on winning, not positions.
Then there is VD Satheesan, the current Leader of the Opposition. He has emerged as a strong public face of the Congress in recent years, particularly after 2021. Surveys occasionally place him ahead in popularity charts. He, too, has sidestepped the question — calling it unnecessary, even distracting.
The third name, always hovering in the background, is KC Venugopal. With his proximity to the central leadership, his influence is not easily measured in public statements, but it is felt within the party.
Three leaders. Different strengths. Overlapping ambitions. And a party that insists there is no contest.
However, with Venugopal not contesting, his name is almost struck off.
The Congress leadership moved quickly once the chatter picked up.
Senior leader KC Joseph put out a pointed message asking colleagues to avoid “self-defeating conjectures.”
It wasn’t exactly a rebuke, but close enough.
The reminder was simple — the party is in a “do-or-die” battle, and workers on the ground are not campaigning for an individual’s chair.
Satheesan echoed the official line from campaign stops. “Team UDF,” he said, almost like a refrain. No internal contest, no divisions, just a collective fight.
Chennithala, too, fell back in line. The high command will decide. After the elections. As always.
But by then, the conversation had already escaped.
One of the social media pages dedicated to V D Satheesan as the CM candidate
If anything, the reaction among workers showed how alive the issue really is.
On social media, the debate is even less restrained. Closed groups and local pages are full of arguments — seniority versus popularity, experience versus momentum.
Some pitch Satheesan as the “natural choice” going by recent visibility.
Others insist Chennithala deserves it after years in the system. Venugopal’s name comes up, usually in quieter tones.
None of this is official. But none of it is insignificant either.
Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala, Sunny Joseph, K C Venugopal, V D Satheesan and Shashi Tharoor
For the Congress, the real issue is not that the question exists. It always has. The problem is timing.
With the UDF banking on anti-incumbency against the Left Democratic Front government, the campaign narrative is supposed to stay focused — governance, welfare, corruption allegations, the usual themes. Instead, internal equations are now sharing space with those issues.
The CPI(M) has already begun pointing to this as evidence of Congress infighting. It’s an easy line to push, and a difficult one to counter when statements like Kurien’s are on record.
There is also the memory of 2021, when leadership changes within the Congress came after defeat. This time, the stakes are higher. The party senses an opening. This makes internal noise more costly.
Within the Congress, some describe it bluntly — the Chief Minister question is the elephant in the room. Everyone sees it. No one wants to address it too early.
But the thing about elephants is, they are hard to hide. And in Kerala politics, where personalities matter as much as parties, the question acquires a life of its own.
Opinion polls add another layer. One recent survey suggested Satheesan is slightly ahead in public preference, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan close behind. Others like KK Shailaja and even BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar find mention. These numbers are debated, dismissed, and circulated — depending on who is speaking.
Inside the Congress, they are watched more closely than admitted.
A district-level Congress committee (DCC) leader put it more bluntly:
“See, this is exactly what we didn’t want now. On the ground, workers start reading signals. One group pushes one name, another group reacts. It creates confusion. Old group dynamics are still there; let’s not pretend otherwise. We are trying to fight the LDF, but suddenly we are explaining our own house to people.”
He paused, then added, almost as an afterthought: “After results, fine. Now, it only distracts.”
For all the noise, the party has not changed its formal position — no CM candidate before the elections. Decision by the high command, in consultation with elected MLAs. The same model is used in Karnataka and Telangana.
Earlier, in conversation with South First, Satheesan made it clear that the Congress has no plans to project a chief ministerial face before the elections, brushing aside speculation with a matter-of-fact tone.
He pointed to the party’s recent approach in states like Karnataka and Telangana, where leadership decisions were taken only after the results, following consultations led by the high command.
Stressing that Kerala too would follow the same path, Satheesan said there is a clear internal understanding among senior leaders and described the party’s strength as a “galaxy of leaders” capable of taking on any responsibility.
He also pushed back against narratives of infighting, suggesting that talk of a leadership tussle was being amplified by political opponents rather than reflecting the ground reality within the Congress.
Leaders repeat it. Spokespersons reinforce it. Campaign speeches avoid the subject.
But now and then, someone says a little more than intended. A hint, a preference, a “no doubt” moment.
And just like that, the conversation returns.
Not fully uncontrolled. Not entirely accidental either.
As the campaign enters its final stretch, Congress would prefer to keep this question parked. Whether it stays parked is another matter altogether.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
