THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Saturday’s election results will be crucial for the three Congress leaders who have set their eyes on the state chief minister’s chair.
Results of the three by-elections in Kerala — Palakkad, Chelakkara and Wayanad — and assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand could go a long way in deciding the political future of K C Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan, who are seen as frontrunners for the CM post if UDF wins the 2026 assembly election.
Palakkad will be decisive for Leader of Opposition Satheesan as he single-handedly picked the candidate backed by Shafi Parambil and ran the entire campaign, by allegedly sidelining many other leaders.
A setback in Palakkad and Chelakkara would not be taken lightly by the high command, which is betting heavily on the political fortunes of the state. If the party wins the two assembly races, besides the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, it would be a major achievement for Satheesan.
Many risky moves, including the induction of Sandeep Varier, were possibly devised by Satheesan with this in mind. “Inner-party issues will not subside even if Congress wins Palakkad, as Satheesan has established himself as a ‘nuisance litigant’,” political analyst Ajith Sreenivasan said. “So far, 10 leaders have deserted the Congress accusing Satheesan of taking a dictatorial line on Palakkad. Padmaja Venugopal and Simi Rose Bell had also targeted Satheesan when they left the party. A reality check awaits Satheesan,” he told TNIE.
Meanwhile, Congress’ Maharashtra in-charge Chennithala is pinning his hopes on a possible comeback of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the assembly election. This will provide him with enough firepower to make his case. “Satheesan is yet to match Chennithala’s performance as leader of opposition. And that is the latter’s biggest asset,” a senior KPCC executive member said. “A victory in Maharashtra will also edge him closer to the Nehru-Gandhi family. On the other hand, even if the MVA alliance faces a setback, he need not take responsibility,” he added.
The party’s overall performance would be decisive for Venugopal. Though he played a pivotal role in Satheesan assuming the role of leader of the opposition, he is considered the biggest contender for the future CM post. Though leaders close to him dismiss any such move, the poll results in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and the possibility of a lower-than-expected majority in Wayanad for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra could prove to be a concern for him.
After the loses in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, a setback in Maharashtra would be enough to question his authority. “But, Venugopal may not be made answerable for Priyanka’s performance. The state unit is responsible for coordinating campaigns. However, Maharashtra and Jharkhand will have an impact on his prospects. He was the general secretary when Congress improved its feat in the last general election. His role in Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Yatra cannot also be written off,” he said.
