THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While it is yet to reveal its choice, there are indications that the Congress high command has taken a final decision on the next chief minister of Kerala. An official announcement is expected on Monday or Tuesday.
Party sources said AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal has the strong backing of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for the post.
Sources said though V D Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala, the other two contenders, had pinned their hopes on the high command after four hours of marathon discussions and deliberations, a majority of MLAs and MPs are understood to have supported Venugopal.
They said the high command also took Venugopal’s organisational skills and strategic role throughout the assembly election campaign into consideration.
Kharge to make official announcement
“After they both became MPs from Kerala, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have their own channels to assess what is happening on the ground here. Gone are the days when the high command had to rely solely on reports from state leaders. Even in recent developments related to the CM post, the leadership is aware of the ground realities,” said a veteran party leader.
Sources said the decision was taken after consultations with senior leaders and key stakeholders. A formal announcement is expected to be made by the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge after completion of the party’s internal procedures.