The Congress has finally picked its chief minister for Kerala. The choice was not expected to be easy. But the 10 long days of uncertainty and chaos that preceded the selection of V D Satheesan over his tenacious challengers K C Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala certainly took some sheen off the splendid 102-seat victory. The tough competition for the job—marked by an aggressive show of strength by the supporters of the contenders, prolonged discussions, endless intrigues and intense speculations—laid bare the acrimony within, with serious implications for the functioning of the new government and the party’s future.
It’s not that any one of the contenders deserved the job more than the others, but a choice had to be made. However, the party failed to project decisiveness in the face of open dissent, tolerated blackmail tactics and allowed multiple power centres to dictate terms, thus prolonging the whole process and affecting its credibility. Ultimately, in the choice of Satheesan, the party seems to have bowed before mass sentiments, giving social media debates and poster wars substantial weightage against considerations like the opinion of legislators, seniority in the organisation and administrative experience.
Only time can reveal the impact of the choice. But, at the moment, the party has a lot to deal with. Having upset two influential seniors and their supporters, the Congress must ensure that the other tasks of government formation, including allocation of cabinet berths among partners and picking its own nominees for ministries, proceed without further trouble. The various factions will want their shares and the party should handle the demands with care to avoid more damage. Besides, it’s known that the Muslim League’s unyielding support for Satheesan influenced his selection, and the Congress now has the task of demonstrably establishing that the government is not held hostage to the alliance partner’s designs.
Satheesan will do well to put behind the bitterness of the post-election events and take all MLAs and ministers along for effective governance. Having been chosen by popular support, Satheesan must prove he is up to the task and deliver on the expectations. The people of Kerala chose the Congress and its alliance to govern, not bicker. If the government fails to perform, the same people can bring it down when an opportunity arises.