Congress finalises Kerala CM name; announcement tomorrow, says Jairam Ramesh
Suspense prevailed for the last 10 days over the Chief Ministerial face in Kerala, after the Congress-led UDF secured a decisive mandate in the 2026 Assembly elections.
by Zee Media Bureau · Zee NewsThe Congress party, which bagged 63 seats in the Kerala elections as part of the United Democratic Front (UDF) alliance, has finalised the name of its Chief Minister for the state, and an announcement for the same will be made tomorrow. Notably, the UDF had bagged 102 seats in the 140-member Kerala assembly, ending the 10-years of left rule. Congress General Secretary in charge of Communication, Jairam Ramesh, confirmed that the announcement for the CM face will be made on Thursday.
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Jairam Ramesh said that internal deliberations by the party high command have been completed. Notably, the Congress party has appointed two observers - Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken - to select the leader of the Kerala Congress legislature party. The two observers had held extensive discussions with the newly elected MLAs and had submitted their report to the party high command. The Congress high command has been holding consultations in New Delhi with senior Kerala leaders to finalise the name for the Chief Ministerial post.
Speaking to reporters, Ramesh said, "As authorised by the members of the CLP in Kerala, the high command of Congress has completed all discussions. The decision on who the next CM of Kerala will be announced tomorrow."
The remarks come amid continued suspense over the Chief Ministerial face in Kerala, ten days after the Congress-led UDF secured a decisive mandate in the 2026 Assembly elections. Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala are among the frontrunners for the post.
The delay was reportedly caused after KC Venugopal staked a claim for the top post despite being a Member of Parliament. Notably, Venugopal did not contest the Kerala assembly elections. On the other hand, Satheesan had won the assembly poll from the Paravur seat while Chennithala retained the Haripada seat.
Meanwhile, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Wednesday said that the Congress party has been overwhelmed with ‘confusion’ amid the suspense over the Chief Ministerial nominee for Kerala. "The Congress party is in complete confusion even after 9 days... Congress got a full majority in Kerala, and yet there is confusion... I was even told that there will be five CMs in five years... Wherever there is CM, there is confusion. You can see the situation of Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh...", he told ANI, taking out binoculars to take a dig at the Congress.