Chief Minister still not decided? leaders including K Muraleedharan and K Sudhakaran to travel to Delhi

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As discussions continue over the selection of Kerala’s next Chief Minister, the AICC has reportedly called all former KPCC presidents to Delhi for talks. Senior leaders, including K Muraleedharan, K Sudhakaran, Mullappally Ramachandran and M M Hassan, have been asked to attend the discussions scheduled for tomorrow. The move comes as reports suggest that an official announcement on the Chief Minister post could be made either today or tomorrow.

Earlier, K Muraleedharan, MLA-elect from Vattiyoorkavu, had reacted to the delay in the Chief Minister decision. He compared it to trains getting delayed due to bad weather.

“The delay is causing inconvenience to people. But once the government is formed and begins functioning, those concerns can be addressed,” he said.

Muraleedharan also dismissed reports that coalition partners were supporting a particular leader, saying such claims were only speculation.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that AICC general secretary K C Venugopal is emerging as the frontrunner for the Chief Minister post. The Congress high command is also said to be speeding up the decision-making process. There are also indications that the new government may not have a Deputy Chief Minister. Discussions are reportedly taking place on whether the official announcement should be made in Kerala or in Delhi. According to reports, a majority of Congress MLAs are backing K C Venugopal for the top post.

However, the central leadership is concerned that choosing Venugopal, who is currently a Member of Parliament, over Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan could trigger protests and internal divisions within the Kerala Congress. There are fears that factional groups could become more active and affect the smooth functioning of the government. Reports also suggest that V D Satheesan informed Rahul Gandhi that he does not support K C Venugopal becoming Chief Minister.