KOCHI: Even before a single vote is counted, K C Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan seem to have collectively decided there’s no harm in getting a head start on looking like Kerala’s next chief minister.
Even with results more than a week away, Congress’ three widely acknowledged CM aspirants are engaged in a curious game of ‘spot the subtext’ on social media — where every post, caption and carefully timed gesture appears to say just enough without quite making it explicit.
For party workers and voters, it is becoming increasingly hard to tell whether they are watching an election campaign or a neatly choreographed audition for the top job.
From social media posts to symbolic public gestures, the messaging has been anything but accidental.
Take April 23, World Book Day, for instance. Satheesan struck a philosophical tone, projecting intellectual depth with a post on language, literature and harmony — crafting the image of a thinking leader with a global outlook.
Not to be outdone, Venugopal chose the same day to launch his book ‘Nerinoppam: Porattangal Nilapadukal’, a compilation of speeches spanning three decades — an attempt, perhaps, to underline experience and ideological consistency. Days earlier, he had also unveiled his daughter Parvathy’s book ‘A Girl Speaks’, adding a softer, personal dimension to his public persona.
Chennithala, meanwhile, opted for a more forward-looking pitch, announcing a podcast titled ‘Kerala Yatra’, promising discussions on development across districts. The message was clear: here is a leader with a roadmap.
And then came cricket — because in Kerala nothing connects quite like Sanju Samson.
On April 11, when Sanju struck the first century of this IPL season, Chennithala posted a video of the milestone moment with a caption borrowed from a famous Rajinikanth punchline — “late-aa vandhalum…” (even if I arrive late, I arrive in style). The subtext was hard to miss: 2021 may have slipped by, but 2026, perhaps, will not.
Satheesan’s evocative “shirt stitched with sweat” line hinted at toil and rightful reward, a line he repeated when Sanju smashed his second century, against Mumbai Indians on Thursday. The trio, in fact, seized the moment with posts that went beyond mere appreciation.
Chennithala’s “class is permanent” remark after Sanju’s Thursday’s century carried undertones of legitimacy and endurance. Supporters filled in the blanks in the comments, drawing parallels that were hard to miss.
“It’s not manliness to snatch away what rightfully belongs to someone else. True manliness lies in earning what is yours through your own ability -- whether it’s RC or Sanju,” wrote one.
Venugopal’s messaging was, if anything, even more pointed.
“With the force of a hundred punches, he has broken down doors that were once slammed shut — and he’s here to stay,” he wrote, in what many read as less about Sanju and more a statement of personal intent.
If subtlety was the opening note, it did not last long. In Malappuram, hoardings openly hailing Satheesan as the “designated CM” surfaced, an escalation that made even Congress supporters uneasy.
The optics, increasingly, are difficult to ignore. What may have begun as individual branding now risks being read as factional signalling.
At a time when electoral outcomes remain uncertain — and with the possibility of the LDF scripting a third consecutive victory still very much alive — the premature projection of chief ministerial ambitions could send the wrong message about unity within the party, leaders admit in private.
Rivals have already begun to capitalise, with social media turning into a playground for satire and trolling.
Within the Congress too, there is a sense of discomfort. As one senior leader put it, political maturity — essentially common sense — is a quality equally necessary for both workers and leaders, and decisions must ultimately be collective.
Perhaps the sharpest — and most sarcastic — take came from political observer Ramesh Mathew who remarked that if the UDF does manage to win, the Congress might as well sidestep the ongoing three-way contest and pick Shashi Tharoor as chief minister — dumping all the current aspirants in one stroke.
Another observer went a step further, quipping that the Kerala electorate might well be praying that the UDF does not come to power at all if this is what the scramble for the chief minister’s chair looks like even before the votes are counted.