MALAPPURAM: With the battle for the chief minister post intensifying within the Congress-led UDF, the IUML has decisively thrown its weight behind V D Satheesan, signalling that the party is unwilling to compromise on what it sees as the “people’s mandate” behind the alliance’s sweeping electoral victory.
At a high-level meeting held with AICC observers in Thiruvananthapuram, senior IUML leaders reportedly made it clear that the UDF’s landslide win was shaped largely by Satheesan’s aggressive leadership, anti-government campaign and sustained political mobilisation across Kerala. The League leadership conveyed that the public had voted for the political direction crafted under Satheesan and that any attempt to sideline him at the final stage would amount to disregarding the popular mood within the alliance.
Senior IUML leaders P K Kunhalikutty, E T Muhammed Basheer, P M A Salam and Harris Beeran attended the meeting with the AICC observers amid mounting speculation over intense factional lobbying within the Congress camp.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty confirmed that the party had formally communicated its position regarding the chief ministerial selection to the Congress high command. However, he avoided publicly naming the candidate supported by the League, even as party insiders left little doubt that Satheesan remained the preferred choice.
Behind the carefully measured public statements, however, the political message from the League was unmistakably strong. The IUML is positioning itself as the defender of the UDF’s electoral verdict and is resisting what it sees as backroom power negotiations within the Congress.
IUML state general secretary P M A Salam told TNIE that the party’s position had remained consistent from the beginning and would not be altered under pressure from any quarter.
“The Congress and the UDF as a whole must take into account the public sentiment before arriving at a decision on the chief ministership. Our state president Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal had made the party’s position clear much earlier. We are not a party that changes its stand every minute depending on political pressure. The same position has been communicated to the AICC observers as well,” Salam said.
There are strong indications that the K C Venugopal camp mounted intense behind-the-scenes efforts in recent days to influence the IUML leadership. While sections within the Congress are reportedly lobbying for KC, the League leadership appears determined to prevent financial or organisational considerations from outweighing public perception and political legitimacy.
A senior IUML state committee member told TNIE that there were intense last-minute discussions within the League leadership on whether the party should back Venugopal, particularly considering his crucial role in mobilising financial resources for the Congress during the election campaign and for the alliance’s future political operations.
According to the source, Kunhalikutty had raised the observation that Venugopal’s organisational and financial interventions had significantly strengthened the Congress campaign machinery and contributed to the UDF’s victory. The matter was subsequently discussed with IUML state president Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal.
However, Thangal reportedly took a firm stand that electoral funding could not outweigh public sentiment and political acceptability.
“Thangal made it clear that the people’s verdict is larger than financial considerations. His view was that the party must stand firmly with Satheesan because he is seen by the public as the natural and obvious choice for the chief minister’s post,” the source said.
