KOCHI: The delay by Congress in naming the next chief minister even four days after the UDF swept the Kerala assembly election has triggered an unprecedented show of strength by supporters of senior leaders V D Satheesan, K C Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala across the state.
From Kozhikode to Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam to Ernakulam, Congress workers have taken out rallies, erected giant boards and flooded social media demanding that their preferred leader be elevated to the top post.
Large demonstrations backing Satheesan were organised at Muthalakulam, Koyilandy, Kuttiady and Vadakara in Kozhikode, where supporters installed towering cut-outs portraying him as ‘kingmaker’ and ‘Bahubali’. Similar marches were organised in Malappuram under the banner “Mathethara Keralam VD-ku Oppam”, while a rally titled “Secular Keralam with Satheesan” was held at Pampady.
Supporters also marched from Martyrs’ Column to the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram carrying Satheesan’s placards. In some places, posters of Venugopal were reportedly torn down and replaced with Satheesan’s banners. Congress workers in Ernakulam and Kalamassery also witnessed flex-board rivalry.
Meanwhile, the Congress leadership in Idukki cracked down on pro-Satheesan demonstrations. The DCC removed four office-bearers who led a march demanding Satheesan be made the CM. .
Interestingly, while grassroots leaders, including booth and mandalam committee presidents, have openly joined rallies, most senior leaders have refrained from participation.
Several seniors across factions are understood to be backing Venugopal internally, arguing that the CM should be selected through organisational consensus rather than public pressure.
The battle has shifted online, too. Under a social media post by senior leader Rahul Gandhi thanking Kerala voters, Satheesan’s supporters urged the high command not to appoint Venugopal, arguing that choosing a sitting MP would trigger unnecessary by-elections.
However, another Congress supporter countered online: “Any leader, no matter how big, who imagines that they can blackmail the party by sending fans and supporters to the streets, is mistaken. The party must take decisions within its own organisational framework and discipline.”
Another widely shared post defending Venugopal questioned why so many MLAs continued to support him despite Satheesan’s strong media backing, arguing that party workers value leaders who quietly strengthen the organisation rather than build personality cults.
Though relatively subdued, supporters of Chennithala too entered the online contest, circulating posters calling him the “People’s Chief Minister”, adding another layer to the Congress succession battle now spilling from party corridors onto Kerala’s streets and social media feeds.