Uncertainty continues within the Congress party over the selection of Kerala’s next Chief Minister, even two days after party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi held discussions with the three contenders for the top post.

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, AICC general secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal and Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan are the three leaders lobbying for the Chief Ministership of the State. The high command met the three leaders on Saturday (May 9, 2026) in New Delhi.

KPCC chief Sunny Joseph and AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala Deepa Dasmunsi also attended the meeting.

- PTI

Amid suspense over the next Kerala Chief Minister, Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, remarking that the PM appears to have “memory loss” regarding his own party’s history of leadership delays in Delhi.

Responding to the Prime Minister’s jibes over the ongoing suspense in selecting the Kerala Chief Minister, Mr. Chennithala reminded him that the BJP itself had allegedly delayed its Chief Ministerial pick in Delhi for 50 days.

He further asserted that Congress follows a thorough “democratic process” in its party functioning and does not entertain an “authoritarian” setup, unlike the BJP, where PM Modi and Amit Shah allegedly make all decisions in the party.

“PM Modi should remember that it took him 50 days to announce the Chief Minister in Delhi. Only now have I realised that the Prime Minister seems to have memory loss. The same Prime Minister who created uncertainty in Delhi by not announcing the Chief Minister for 50 days is now criticising the Congress,” Mr. Chennithala told reporters.

“The Prime Minister should not forget the past. The Indian National Congress is a democratic party, not an authoritarian one. That is why the high command said it would hold discussions with all of us and take a democratic decision. At their party, the situation is such that if PM Modi and Amit Shah decide something, that becomes everything,” he added.

-ANI

The decision on Congress’ Chief Minister in Kerala seemed to assume the contours of a political cliff-hanger

The question of who among the purported three Chief Minister probables – Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal, and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala – would make the cut appeared set to go down to the wire, with party High Command reportedly scheduled to make the pivotal announcement on Sunday. 

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Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala today said that whatever decision the party high command takes regarding the chief ministerial post in Kerala will be accepted by all Congress and UDF workers in the State.

“We have conveyed whatever we had to say to the high command. They have heard everything. The rest is for them to decide,” Mr. Chennithala told reporters here after returning from New Delhi.

He said the delay in taking the decision is part of a democratic procedure.

Whatever decision the party high command takes regarding the chief ministerial post in Kerala will be accepted by all Congress and UDF workers in the State, he added.

-PTI

The ongoing tussle among three Congress Chief Minister aspirants after the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) historic Assembly mandate has unleashed a tsunami of trolls and memes across social media.

From rib-tickling to downright biting, the menu of satire catered to every palate. “For the UDF government, the CM’s chair is no longer a chair but a bench,” read one meme, complete with a bench photo, mocking the multiple contenders.

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Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam accused the Congress of political opportunism, alleging that the party aligns with whichever group is in power.

His remarks came after the Congress abruptly ended its years-long alliance with the DMK and allied with the TVK, with its five MLAs, backing TVK chief Vijay’s bid to become Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

While speaking to ANI on Sunday (May 10), Mr. Nirupam said, “The Congress has always shown opportunism. In politics, Congress is always on the lookout for opportunities to sneak into power. They were allies of DMK and had a decades-old alliance. DMK lost the election, and a new party, TVK, emerged, so Rahul Gandhi went with them, and today he went to the swearing-in ceremony there.”

- ANI

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala yesterday hit out at the BJP amid ongoing deliberations over the selection of Kerala’s next Chief Minister, saying the grand old party does not function on instructions from Nagpur.

Mr. Chennithala, who is among the main contenders for the Chief Minister’s post along with V.D. Satheesan and K.C. Venugopal, defended the time taken by the Congress leadership to arrive at a consensus, noting that only five days had passed since the declaration of the Assembly election results.

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The decision on Congress’ Chief Minister in Kerala seemed to assume the contours of a political cliff-hanger on Friday (May 8, 2026). The question of who among the purported three Chief Minister probables – Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal, and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala – would make the cut appeared set to go down to the wire, with party High Command reportedly scheduled to make the pivotal announcement on Sunday (May 10, 2026).