Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met senior party leaders from Kerala on Tuesday to end the impasse over the selection of the United Democratic Front (UDF) chief minister, more than a week after the alliance won the recently held state elections, according to party leaders aware of the developments.
A senior leader who attended the meeting said that a decision on the new prime minister would be made on Wednesday.
The leaders said that six of the nine leaders who attended the meeting supported the nomination of Secretary General (of the organisation) KC Venugopal for the post of Prime Minister. Two leaders supported senior Kerala Congress leader and MLA from Paravur, VD Satheesan; One leader remained neutral.
Ramesh Chennithala, Congress leader and MLA from Haripad, is the other contender for the post.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front returned to power in Kerala with a decisive mandate last week, winning 102 of the 140 Assembly seats. The number of seats for the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) has been reduced to 35 seats.
Among those who attended the meeting were former presidents of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), K Muraleedharan, VM Sudheeran, K Sudhakaran and MM Haasan.
Gandhi also met All India Congress Committee (AICC) Disciplinary Committee Chairman Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and KPCC working presidents AP Anilkumar, PC Vishnunath and Shafi Parambil. Former KPCC president Mullapally Ramachandram was invited but could not attend the meeting.
According to two Congress leaders familiar with the details, Muraleedharan and Sudhiran favored Satheesan, the outgoing leader of the opposition in the Kerala Assembly, and insisted that the state’s public sentiments should be taken into account while selecting the chief minister’s post.
According to the second leader, Hasan did not reveal his choice but told Gandhi that he would support whoever became prime minister. Later, Haasan told the media: “It is the Congress party that will decide the prime ministerial candidate and not the Muslim League.” The comments assume significance as IUML is known to have preferred Satheesan over Venugopal.
The working presidents and Radhakrishnan supported Venugopal. The senior Congress leader told HT that the decision to consult former KPCC presidents and serving presidents was taken to “mobilize support for Venugopal”. These leaders had earlier expressed their confidence in Venugopal when the two observers – Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken – went to Kerala to gauge the mood of lawmakers and Congress leaders.
Gandhi inquired about the protests organized by Congress workers against the post of Prime Minister. One of the leaders mentioned above said: “He wanted to know details about the protests and who organized these activities. He also asked all the leaders to give him a formula to end the crisis and asked them if there was any power or influence over the Moroccan Liberation Army.”
“We have asked the Congress to take into account public sentiment and how UDF supporters might react. We have also said that a leader who enjoys mass support should become prime minister,” IUML MP ET Md Bahseer, a key member of the UDF, told HT on Tuesday, referring to Satheesan’s support.
“I am satisfied with my discussions with party leader Rahul Gandhi. The final decision will come this evening or tomorrow morning,” Muraleedharan said in Thiruvananthapuram.
IUML holds a major meeting on Wednesday
The IUML, the second largest partner within the UDF, has called a major leadership meeting in Panakkad on Wednesday. The meeting is expected to discuss the party’s position on choosing the president of the conference and the repercussions of the delay in announcing the decision.
P Abdul Hamid, IUML district secretary in Malappuram, had on Monday observed that the delay in announcing the chief ministerial selection had “dimmed the luster of the UDF victory” across the state.
“The situation has embarrassed the United Democratic Front. People are starting to wonder why they voted for the alliance,” he said.
