After ten days of intense lobbying, coalition pressure and multiple rounds of internal consultations, the Indian National Congress will name its Kerala chief minister on Thursday. The announcement ends a period of sustained suspense that began the moment the UDF swept to a two-thirds majority in the state assembly elections.

The decision came into focus after a nearly 40-minute meeting between Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at Kharge's residence. Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh emerged from the meeting to confirm the wait was over.

"As authorised by the members of the CLP in Kerala, the high command of the Congress has completed all discussions, and the decision on who the next chief minister of Kerala will be will be announced tomorrow," Ramesh said.

A senior leader, speaking without attribution, indicated the CM nominee's name may be revealed in Kerala itself, adding that all democratic practices and processes would be followed in making the announcement.

The contenders and the complications

Three names have dominated the conversation: AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, outgoing Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan and senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala. Within the UDF, coalition allies are understood to favour Satheesan, who also carries strong support among party workers and the wider public. However, Venugopal's emergence as a serious contender has made consensus harder to reach, complicating what might otherwise have been a straightforward call.

Rahul Gandhi had previously held separate meetings with several Kerala leaders and around eight former state unit chiefs to take stock of ground-level sentiment before deliberations reached their final stage.

How coalition interference slowed things down

The delay itself became a point of friction. NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair said on Wednesday that UDF coalition partners, including the Indian Union Muslim League, should not have involved themselves in what was an internal Congress matter.

"The delay in a decision by the Congress central leadership is due to this interference. If not, the decision would have come much earlier," Nair said, as reported by PTI. He added that multiple UDF allies had weighed in behind various candidates, which complicated the high command's ability to move quickly.

Grassroots pressure also played a role. Protests by party workers at the state level pushed the leadership to widen its consultations before reaching a final position.

(With inputs from PTI)

Published on: May 14, 2026 7:31 AM IST