Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala. File
| Photo Credit: H. Vibhu
A detente appeared to be on the cards in the Congress party in Kerala on Friday (May 15, 2026), with senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, somewhat belatedly, declaring support for Chief Minister-elect V.D. Satheesan.
Also Read: Congress names V.D. Satheesan as Chief Minister; BJP points at ‘IUML pressure’
At least transiently on Thursday (May 14), the United Democratic Front (UDF)’s platform of unity, which delivered the alliance an extraordinary electoral triumph, appeared shaky after Mr. Chennithala skipped the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) meeting chaired by Mr. Satheesan and went incommunicado after the high command tapped Mr. Satheesan for the top post.
For one, the Nair Service Society (NSS), an influential Hindu social organisation, appeared to exacerbate the initial note of dissonance in the Congress by accusing the party’s high command of “capitulating” to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) by “bypassing” Mr. Chennithala and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary, K.C. Venugopal, for the Chief Minister’s post.
Mr. Chennithala sought to put the Congress’s concerns about another bout of factional feuding ahead of government formation by welcoming the high command’s decision to appoint Mr. Satheesan as UDF’s Chief Minister. Stepping out of the Guruvayur Temple in Thrissur, Mr. Chennithaa said that he wished Mr. Satheesan well and the Chief Minister-elect would have the unflinching support of the party’s rank-and-file.
Mr. Chennithala also appeared to dispel reports that he would eschew joining Mr. Satheesan’s cabinet. When asked whether he would join the government as a Minister, Mr. Chennithala said, “Forming the cabinet is the Chief Minister’s prerogative.”
Notably, Mr. Venugopal had proclaimed support for Mr. Satheesan after a closed-door meeting with the Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, in New Delhi on Thursday (May 14). Former KPCC president and MLA-elect, K. Muraleedharan, told reporters in Thrissur that he had backed Mr. Satheesan for the top post from the very outset.
A Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) insider said the “unedifying sight” of factional feuding for the Chief Minister’s post had raised concern that the overwhelming public support for the UDF would fall through the floor ahead of government formation.
He noted that UDF allies, chiefly the IUML, were upset that top leaders had to fend off endless questions since May 4 about the Congress’s Chief Minister-designate, even as the alliance was at the apogee of its popularity and political heft.
Published – May 15, 2026 09:40 am IST
