Published May 13, 2026 | 9:23 PM ⚊ Updated May 13, 2026 | 9:23 PM
K C Venugopal, V D Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala.
Synopsis: After ten days of intense lobbying, public posturing and growing impatience within the Congress and the UDF, Kerala is finally set to know who its next Chief Minister will be on Thursday as the party high command prepares to end the prolonged suspense. The delay turned a post-election formality into a full-blown political drama, with rival camps rallying behind VD Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala and KC Venugopal, while the leadership scrambled to prevent factional cracks from widening.
Ten days after Kerala delivered its verdict, the Congress leadership has finally indicated that the long wait over the Chief Minister’s post is nearing an end.
AICC general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh announced on Wednesday, 13 May night that the Congress high command had completed all discussions related to the leadership question and that the next Chief Minister of Kerala would be announced on Thursday, 14 May, the 11th day since the results were announced on 4 May.
The statement came after a crucial meeting between Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi at Kharge’s residence in New Delhi on Wednesday evening.
The discussions, which stretched for an hour, are understood to have focused almost entirely on the Kerala leadership issue that has kept the party, its allies and the public on edge since the election results were declared.
“As authorised by the members of the CLP in Kerala, the high command of Congress has completed all discussions. The decision on who the next CM of Kerala will be announced tomorrow,” Jairam Ramesh said after the meeting.
Later on Wednesday night, it has been announced that, Congress Parliamentary Party meeting will take place on Thursday at 1 PM at Indira Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram. Following that a formal announcement is expected.
Meanwhile, MLAs from northern side of the state informed the leadership on the impracticality of reaching the capital city by morning.
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The announcement has brought temporary relief to a party that has struggled to contain growing impatience within its ranks.
The delay in finalising the Chief Minister has drawn criticism not only from Congress workers but also from allies in the United Democratic Front (UDF).
Leaders from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) had publicly expressed displeasure over the prolonged indecision, arguing that the alliance should have moved quickly after securing victory.
Public criticism too had intensified over the past few days, with many questioning why the party needed more than a week to settle the leadership issue despite having a clear mandate.
Also Read: KC vs VDS vs RC: Congress in dilemma as Kerala leadership puzzle enters final leg
Across Kerala, the suspense has produced scenes of celebration, nervous anticipation and visible factional mobilisation. The anticipation was that the much-awaited announcement will come on Wednesday evening.
Congress workers gathered in large numbers outside Indira Bhavan, the Congress state office, in Thiruvananthapuram and at district committee offices elsewhere in the state, closely following updates from Delhi.
Supporters of the three principal contenders — VD Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala and KC Venugopal — remained active throughout the day as rumours spread with every political movement in the capital.
At Paravur, where Satheesan’s supporters assembled outside his office, workers openly celebrated in anticipation of his elevation.
Slogans hailing him as the next Chief Minister echoed through the area. Flex boards congratulating him as “CM-designate” appeared in several locations even before any official communication from the high command.
The mood there bordered on emotional certainty.
Several workers said they would find it difficult to accept a different outcome after days of reports suggesting Satheesan had emerged as the frontrunner.
At the same time, supporters gathered outside Chennithala’s residence at Vazhuthacaud in Thiruvananthapuram.
Workers who had arrived from Haripad and other places said they strongly wanted Chennithala to get the post, though they also insisted they would abide by the party leadership’s final decision.
Venugopal’s camp too remained active through the day.
His supporters thronged district offices and circulated posters projecting him as the architect of the Congress victory in Kerala.
One poster put up outside his Delhi residence, on the alliance’s performance in the election, prominently carried his image . The absence of photographs of other Kerala leaders on the poster triggered fresh political chatter within Congress circles.
Also Read: As Venugopal emerges frontrunner to be Kerala CM, ball is in Rahul-Kharge court
Though social media was flooded with messages congratulating Satheesan, leaders from all three camps publicly denied receiving any formal communication from Delhi. Each faction maintained that the decision remained entirely with the high command.
It’s learnt that senior leaders including AK Antony and Kodikunnil Suresh were consulted once again on Wednesday before the leadership reached its final stage of deliberations.
Rahul Gandhi is also learnt to have spoken to them over the phone during the discussions.
There are indications that the Congress leadership may attempt a balancing formula involving the three senior leaders in order to prevent factional tensions after the announcement.
The exact nature of such an arrangement, however, remains unclear.
What the Congress leadership initially expected to be a straightforward leadership exercise soon turned into an extended and uneasy political drama.
The first phase of consultations began on 7 May, when the All India Congress Committee (AICC) deputed observers Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken to Kerala to oversee discussions on the selection of the next Chief Minister.
The two leaders held individual meetings with all 63 newly elected Congress MLAs and also interacted with representatives of the United Democratic Front’s alliance partners.
Among those who met the observers were leaders of the Indian Union Muslim League, including K Kunhalikutty, P M A Salam and E T Mohammed Basheer.
Delegations from the Kerala Congress (Jacob) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party also took part in the consultations.
After the discussions, Kunhalikutty told reporters that the League had conveyed its views to the Congress leadership but left the final decision to the party. Leaders of other allies struck a similar tone. RSP leader Shibu Baby John later said the alliance partners had not suggested any names and were prepared to accept whoever the Congress chose.
Also Read: From 1960 to 2026: Why Congress struggles to name CMs in Kerala
On the same day, the Congress Legislature Party unanimously adopted a resolution authorising Mallikarjun Kharge to decide the CLP leader, who would go on to become Chief Minister.
Speaking after the meeting, Wasnik described the Congress victory in the Assembly election as “historic” and said the MLAs had unanimously empowered the party leadership to take the final call. Sunny Joseph moved the resolution, while outgoing CLP leader VD Satheesan seconded it.
Maken said the observers would return to Delhi with their report and expressed hope that the leadership would arrive at a decision soon. That expectation, however, did not materialise.
Unable to settle the issue immediately, the leadership moved into another round of discussions on 9 May.
By then, what should have remained an internal consultation had spilled into public view across Kerala.
Supporters of rival camps organised marches, slogan campaigns and flex-board displays in different districts to showcase strength. In several places, posters erected by one faction were allegedly torn down by workers aligned with another. Even the image of late former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy became part of the controversy after visuals emerged of posters carrying his photograph being vandalised, drawing criticism from senior Congress leaders.
The growing public spectacle forced the Congress high command to step in more firmly.
On 9 May, Kharge convened a high-level meeting in New Delhi attended by Rahul Gandhi, the three principal contenders for the Chief Minister’s post, senior Kerala leaders and the AICC observers. The discussions reportedly stretched for hours, with both collective deliberations and separate one-on-one consultations taking place.
Senior leaders are understood to have expressed displeasure over the open factional displays so soon after the alliance’s emphatic electoral victory. Leaders from Kerala were instructed to rein in supporters and avoid creating the impression of a divided party before the government was even sworn in.
Also Read: 41+10 MLAs-elect pick Venugopal as Kerala CM; so what is Congress’ hold up?
Even after the Delhi meeting, no announcement came.
The uncertainty only fuelled more speculation back home, prompting yet another round of consultations on 12 May involving former KPCC presidents and senior organisational leaders. By then, unease had begun spreading beyond the party’s internal circles.
Workers who had celebrated the election victory with enthusiasm days earlier were increasingly frustrated by the delay. Social media platforms filled with sarcasm, memes and criticism over the Congress taking so long to choose a Chief Minister despite securing a decisive mandate.
Concerns were also being voiced within the UDF itself.
The IUML, the coalition’s second-largest constituent, publicly hinted that the prolonged indecision risked damaging the alliance politically. League leaders stressed that the coalition needed to move quickly towards government formation and begin addressing administrative challenges instead of remaining consumed by leadership negotiations.
Even on 13 May, a last round of talks was held between Rahul Gandhi and Kharge.
What began as a routine post-election exercise has now turned into one of the most closely watched leadership decisions in recent Kerala politics. The Congress high command’s silence over the past several days had only deepened the uncertainty, creating parallel narratives of confidence and anxiety inside the party.
By Thursday, Kerala is finally expected to know who will lead the new government. Until then, celebration and suspense continue to coexist within Congress ranks.
Also Read: Before government formation, cracks surface in UDF; IUML to hold key meeting tomorrow
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
