Congress will announce its chief minister pick for Kerala on Thursday as all discussions by the party high command has been completed, General Secretary in-charge Communications, Jairam Ramesh said on Wednesday.
"As authorised by the members of the CLP in Kerala, the high command of the Congress has completed all discussions, and the decision on who the next chief minister of Kerala will be will be announced tomorrow," Ramesh told reporters outside Kharge's residence.
He declined to comment on whether the announcement would be made in Delhi or Kerala.
The statements came shortly after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met party president Mallikarjun Kharge and held a final round of discussion, even as protests and suspense over the delay in chosing the CM marred the party's humongous victory in the recently concluded Assembly elections.
Rahul Gandhi drove down to Kharge's residence for the meeting, which lasted about 40 minutes.
The former Congress chief had previously met several leaders from Kerala and around eight former state unit chiefs to ascertain the ground situation.
The party was expected to make the announcement on Wednesday night. However, according to sources, the decision was reportedly delayed as senior party leader Sonia Gandhi was unwell and had to be taken to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram for "routine check-ups."
The Congress leadership has been unable to decide on a chief ministerial face even after ten days since the results for the Assembly polls were announced, in which the United Democratic Front (UDF) registered a stunning perfomance, winning 102 seats, well over the majority mark.
Protests at the ground level by ordinary party workers had prompted the party leadership to hold discussions with state leaders before finalising the next chief minister.
The race for the state's top post started after the powerful AICC general secretary for organisation, K C Venugopal, threw his hat in the ring.
He enjoys the support of a majority of Congress MLAs.
Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Kerala assembly, V D Satheesan, and senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala are also staking a claim for the post.
Congress's allies in the UDF favour Satheesan, who also enjoys huge support from the public as well as party workers on the ground. Large number of Congress workers have gathered outside the residence of Satheesan on Wednesday, expecting a decision in favour of the leader.
Kerala is the fourth southern state where the Congress has come to power, after it won Karnataka and Telangana and shared power in Tamil Nadu with TVK.
(With inputs from PTI)