Following the Congress party’s announcement of VD Satheesan as the new Chief Minister of Kerala on Thursday, senior leader Ramesh Chennithala has expressed his disagreement with the decision, with reports indicating that he may opt out of the new cabinet.
Chennithala reportedly informed the party leadership that he was “avoided and ignored” despite maintaining discipline, noting that his seniority was overlooked in favour of younger leadership. Chennithala expressed his dissatisfaction when Rahul Gandhi called him to inform him about the decision. He expressed his protest for not making seniority a criterion despite the fact that he always maintained discipline in the party.
Reports suggest Chennithala has decided not to join the new council of ministers and may stay away from the upcoming Congress Legislative Party meeting. Chennithala also vacated his official residence after it was confirmed that he would not be considered for the Chief Minister’s post.
Meanwhile, the other contestant, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, accepted the party’s decision to select VD Satheesan as the Chief Minister of Kerala and congratulated him.
“I welcome the decision of the leadership with joy. I will accept it with utmost discipline. I promise full support to the government’s future activities. Congratulations to VD Satheesan,” Venugopal told media persons in New Delhi.
Venugopal was a frontline contender for the post alongside VD Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala. According to reports, Venugopal held the backing of a majority of the 63 newly elected Congress MLAs. However, the high command chose Satheesan because of his immense public popularity as the face of the opposition and strong backing from alliance partners like the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
The intense three-way contest among VD Satheesan, KC Venugopal, and Ramesh Chennithala has significantly delayed the United Democratic Front (UDF) Chief Ministerial announcement in Kerala.
After 10 days of waiting, the decision to name VD Satheesan as the new Chief Minister of Kerala was announced by Deepa Das Munshi at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday. The Congress high command chose a generational shift, prioritising public sentiment over majority MLA support for other contenders.