After the Left Democratic Front’s rule ended after the Congress-led United Democratic Front won the Kerala Assembly elections, deliberations on selecting the next chief minister continue.
While the congressional committee submitted its report on Friday, three candidates are in the running.
On Friday, two observers from the All India Congress Committee (AICC), Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken, submitted a report to party chief Mallikarjun Kharg, outlining the preferences of party MLAs for the post of foreign secretary in Kerala, HT had reported earlier.
Who are the most prominent candidates?
According to the report, there are likely to be three candidates, including outgoing leader of the opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Sathisan, former minister Ramesh Chennithala, and AICC general secretary KC Venugopal.
Also Read: Adhav Arjuna and 8 other TVK leaders sworn in as part of Vijay Tamil Nadu government. Full list
V. D. Sathisan
Sathisan took over as Leader of the Opposition after defeats in 2016 and 2021. In 2024, under his leadership, the United Democratic Front won 18 out of 20 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. As one of the prominent faces of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala politics, Sathisan has represented the Paravur constituency for several consecutive terms.
On Friday, Congress sathisan supporters held demonstrations across Kerala demanding his appointment as the next chief minister, and allegedly tore posters and flex boards of AICC leader KC Venugopal, PTI reported.
Read also:
KC Venugopal
Other than Sathisan, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal is a front-runner for the post. Venugopal is a prime candidate given his closeness to the Congress leadership, where he played a key role in the 2026 campaign as an aide to Rahul Gandhi.
Before the election results, party leader Tariq Anwar hinted that the party would choose Venugopal. Asked if KC Venugopal could become the chief minister despite not contesting the Assembly elections, Anwar said that if the Congress general secretary was interested, he would have to undergo the required process.
Also Read: 5+2+2+2+2: How Maths Finally Became Maths For TVK’s Vijay To Form Tamil Nadu Government
Ramesh Chennithala
A former Home Minister and Leader of the Opposition from 2016 to 2021, Chennithala has strong links with the party. In the 2026 Assembly elections, Chennithala won from Haripad seat for a sixth term.
The new Chief Minister will replace outgoing Kerala Chief Minister and CPI(M) leader, Pinarayi Vijayan.
Earlier, Congress leader K Muralidharan, who won from Vattiyurkavu Assembly constituency, said the decision on the chief minister is likely to be taken within two days of Saturday’s discussions.
He said the Congress has an established procedure for selecting the chief minister, under which the party high command takes a final decision after consulting MLAs and senior leaders.
People familiar with the matter had earlier told HT that the AICC is working on a formula that satisfies the three leaders to prevent an internal rebellion.
The United Democratic Front won 102 of the 140 seats in the Assembly elections, while the LDF bagged 35 seats and the BJP bagged three seats.
