AICC observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik to consult newly elected MLAs before finalising Chief Ministerial candidate
Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress party has initiated the process of selecting the next Chief Minister of Kerala following the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) sweeping victory in the Assembly elections. The party on Tuesday appointed senior AICC leaders Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik as observers to hold consultations with newly elected MLAs before the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) elects its leader.
According to party sources, the two central observers are expected to arrive in Kerala once the CLP meeting is formally scheduled. They will interact with Congress legislators to assess support for various leadership contenders and submit their feedback to the party high command, which will take the final call on the Chief Ministerial nominee.
As per the Congress tradition, elected MLAs are consulted during the leadership selection process, although the ultimate decision rests with the central leadership.
The race for Kerala’s top post has intensified after the Congress-led UDF secured a commanding mandate in the Assembly elections. Opposition Leader V D Satheesan, senior Congress Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala, and AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal are currently seen as the leading contenders for the Chief Minister’s position.
A day after the UDF’s emphatic electoral victory, KC Venugopal reached New Delhi, where he was welcomed by party workers at the airport. He later held a series of discussions with senior Congress leaders as deliberations on government formation gathered momentum.
The UDF won 102 seats in the 140-member Kerala Assembly, marking a decisive return to power after ten years of Left Democratic Front (LDF) rule. The Congress also emerged as the single largest party by winning 63 seats, strengthening its claim to lead the next government in the state.
The leadership discussions are expected to intensify in the coming days, with political observers closely watching the Congress high command’s decision on who will lead Kerala’s new government.
