Congress party president Rahul Gandhi is expected to name the new chief minister of Kerala within the next 24 hours [2].
The decision follows a bitter internal power struggle that has left the party unable to agree on a leader despite a landslide victory for the United Democratic Front (UDF).
Senior leaders including V.D. Satheesan, K.C. Venugopal, and Ramesh Chennithala have traveled to Delhi to meet with Gandhi [1, 3]. The deadlock has persisted for 10 days following the election results [1].
While the UDF secured a decisive win, the rivalry between senior figures within the Congress party created a stalemate. This internal friction has shifted the final authority to the party president to resolve the crisis, a move that underscores the tension within the state's leadership ranks [1, 2].
Party officials said the meeting in Delhi is intended to provide a final call on the appointment [3]. The suspense over the appointment has grown as the transition of power in Kerala remains stalled by these internal disagreements [2].
Gandhi now faces the task of selecting a candidate who can unify the warring factions while maintaining the momentum of the recent electoral success [1]. The outcome will determine the direction of the state government and the internal hierarchy of the party in Kerala [3].
“A final decision is expected within the next 24 hours.”
The delay in appointing a chief minister despite a landslide victory reveals deep structural fractures within the Kerala Congress. By intervening personally, Rahul Gandhi is attempting to prevent a public collapse of party discipline, but the necessity of his involvement suggests that the local leadership is currently unable to resolve its own power disputes.
