Who will be Kerala CM if Congress comes to power? Ally IUML backs Satheesan, adds to intrigue

Pointing to Satheesan emerging on top among Congress leaders in the survey, IUML state president Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal told the media in Malappuram that “it reflects public sentiment”. “People might have expressed their views in that manner. That is what I feel. The Congress high command has to take a decision (on the CM post). We hope they will take a decision considering public sentiment. We hope IUML will get its due consideration in the formation of the Cabinet,” he said.

Earlier, when the names of senior leaders Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala and K C Venugopal emerged as top contenders for the CM post, the IUML had said it would air its view at an appropriate time.

“Each of the three leaders’ camps is confident of securing the CM post. Public perception is in favour of Satheesan, who has led the UDF in the last five years, fighting the Pinarayi Vijayan government. He should be the natural choice. But most of the Congress MLA candidates are loyalists of Venugopal, because the candidates were selected by the high command. As the senior-most leader, Chennithala is also a formidable contender. Chennithala is close to Sonia Gandhi because he was an MP during the premiership of Rajiv Gandhi,” a senior Congress leader said ear;ier.

Although the Congress high command takes the final call on the CM candidate after considering the views of elected legislators, the role of the IUML, the second-largest party in the UDF, will be decisive if the alliance wins with a narrow margin in the 140-member Assembly.

The Congress in Kerala has often faced criticism that it is being “backseat-driven” by the IUML in decision-making. This campaign had allegedly alienated the Congress from other communities in the state.

Unlike in the past, the contenders are not limited to state-level leaders. The entry of Venugopal, a key member of the Congress high command, has added a new layer of complexity to the contest.

Earlier, when such situations came up while the Congress was in power at the Centre, the party’s high command would manage the ambitions of senior leaders by giving them roles in the central government. For instance, in 1995, when veteran leader K Karunakaran had to make way for A K Antony as chief minister, the party offered him a Cabinet position at the Centre. Similarly, in 2004, when Antony resigned as chief minister, paving the way for Oommen Chandy, he too was given a prominent role in the UPA government. However, with the Congress out of power at the Centre, the contest for the Kerala CM role assumes particular significance.

Natesan targets IUML

After the IUML backed Satheesan, prominent Hindu leader and SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan on Thursday said, “If the UDF comes to power, the IUML will rule the state. Once the results are out, they will demand a Deputy CM post. In the UDF, the IUML is deciding and declaring portfolios. The League should not have stated who should be the CM from the Congress. We know what is going to happen under a UDF regime. The IUML is going to create problems and anarchy,” he said.

Natesan has been critical of Satheesan after the latter took a tough stand against the Hindu leader’s anti-minority statements over the last year. Natesan has repeatedly predicted that the CPI(M) will retain power for a third term in Kerala.