Actor Siddique has come out in support of Congress leader V. D. Satheesan becoming the next Chief Minister of Kerala.

In a Facebook post, Mr. Siddique said that while he was delighted by the victory of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the recent Assembly elections, he was concerned about the internal tussle within the party over the Chief Minister’s post.

He said that although strong opposition to outgoing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his “anti-people” policies had contributed to the Congress victory, another major factor was the public’s confidence in Mr. Satheesan’s leadership.

Mr. Siddique noted that Mr. Satheesan had confidently predicted that the UDF would win more than 100 seats and had remained firm in his positions without seeking the support of community leaders or yielding to pressure.

He said the public expectation that Mr. Satheesan should become the next Chief Minister should not be undermined by power struggles or group politics within the party.

Mr. Siddique further said that no one else should be elevated to the post, adding that such a move would neither be tolerated nor forgotten. He said it was difficult to imagine anyone other than Mr. Satheesan as Chief Minister, “not even Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.”

He also urged the Congress leadership to take into account not only the views of party leaders but also the sentiments of ordinary people before making a decision, warning that any backlash could be more serious than anticipated.