No premature calls on Kerala CM post, says KPCC chief amid leadership speculation

Amid intensifying speculation over the Congress party’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, KPCC President Sunny Joseph on Sunday stepped in with a clear directive against premature predictions. He stated that the leadership choice should not be decided before the UDF secures a majority in the upcoming polls.

Speaking in Kannur, Sunny Joseph said that a well-defined system exists within the UDF to select the Chief Minister. He added that the party high command would take this into account before arriving at a decision.

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“There is a well-established mechanism in the Congress to elect the Chief Minister. Once the Congress and the UDF secure a majority, the high command will take an appropriate decision after consulting Congress MLAs. That is the procedure. No one should intervene and make predictions. This applies to leaders as well,” the KPCC president said.

Referring to remarks by senior leader K. Sudhakaran, Joseph said, “His statement that Ramesh Chennithala should become the Chief Minister is his personal opinion. The high command may consider it as well.”

Joseph’s intervention is widely seen as a tactical move to curb internal power struggles and maintain party unity ahead of the 2026 Kerala Assembly polls.

Senior Congress leaders K. Sudhakaran and P. J. Kurien have recently expressed public support for former Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala as the Chief Ministerial candidate. Former KPCC president and MP K. Sudhakaran has openly stated that he wants Chennithala to assume the role if the UDF comes to power, adding in a media interview that he would recommend his name for the post. He described Chennithala as a senior and mature leader.

Echoing similar views, senior Congress leader P. J. Kurien also recently said that Ramesh Chennithala would become the Chief Minister if the UDF secures a majority in the Assembly.