The observers stated that the final decision on the leadership issue would be taken by the party after considering the views of newly elected legislators, alliance partners, and public sentiment. Congress leadership is also keen to finalise the name at the earliest, sources said.
Venugopal currently leads a shortlist that includes VD Satheesan, the Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assembly, and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who continues to enjoy strong organisational support within the party. The 63-year-old leader presently serves as Congress General Secretary and is also the Lok Sabha member from Alappuzha. If selected as Chief Minister, he will be required to resign from his parliamentary seat.
Congress workers have openly projected Venugopal as the principal strategist behind the Congress-led United Democratic Front’s decisive electoral victory in Kerala. Posters displayed outside Congress offices and youth wing centres described him as the “hero” and “architect” of the alliance’s success.
The swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place on Monday and is likely to be attended by Rahul Gandhi. Actor-turned-politician Vijay may also attend amid continuing political developments in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
The Congress recently entered into a post-election alliance with Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam after the two parties contested the Tamil Nadu Assembly election as rivals. In doing so, Congress ended its long-standing alliance with the DMK. Congress secured five seats in the election, giving Vijay and the TVK a combined tally of 113 seats in the 234-member Assembly.
However, the effective strength is expected to fall to 112 after Vijay resigns one of the two constituencies he won. The number remains short of the majority mark of 118, triggering intense backchannel negotiations over the past four days involving the TVK, DMK, AIADMK, and several smaller political parties capable of influencing government formation.
In Kerala, however, the Congress-led alliance faces no such uncertainty. The United Democratic Front secured a commanding mandate in the 140-member Assembly, with Congress winning 63 seats independently and the alliance crossing 102 seats with the support of allies including the Indian Union Muslim League, which won 22 seats, and Kerala Congress, which secured seven.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front headed by outgoing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan suffered a major setback, managing to secure only 35 seats in the Assembly election.
Vijayan is also expected to receive an invitation to attend the swearing-in ceremony, which is set to mark a major political transition in Kerala after the Congress-led alliance’s emphatic return to power.
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