Kerala polls: Buzz over Congress’ CM candidate continues despite leadership’s efforts to rein it in

The intra-party speculation over who would be the Congress’ next prospective Chief Minister if the United Democratic Front (UDF) wins the 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala keeps popping up like a jack-in-the-box despite the best efforts of the party’s leadership to tamp down such “schismatic” conjecturing.

P.J. Kurien, veteran Congress leader and former Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha, on Wednesday (March 25, 2026) pushed the organisational contestations centred on the Congress’ Chief Ministerial choice, at times muted and at times loud, into the public domain.

At a UDF election convention in Thiruvalla, Kottayam, Mr. Kurien said the UDF would win on May 4, the poll results day. Pointing at senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala, who shared the dias with him, Mr. Kurien said, “I have no doubt that Mr. Chennithala will be the Chief Minister. He (Mr. Chennithala) might protest, saying that the party will decide”, he stated. 

Varghese Mammen, a Kerala Congress leader contesting as the UDF candidate from Thiruvalla, sat next to Mr. Chennithala on the right side. Glancing at them, Mr. Kurien quipped: “Mr. Mammen will sit on the right of Mr. Chennithala on the Treasury Bench in the Kerala Legislative Assembly after the polls.” 

Mr. Kurien’s statement sent the political rumour mill into overdrive. His averment went viral on conventional and social media, with some channels claiming that the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee’s (KPCC) senior leadership, including K. Sudhakaran, among others, backed Mr. Chennithala over Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K. C. Venugopal, MP, to the high office.

Mr. Chennithala later made light of Mr. Kurien’s statement. He echoed the AICC’s line that the party’s national High Command would take the final call in consultation with the members of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP). “The Congress and the UDF are marching in lockstep to end Left Democratic Front (LDF) rule. The aim of winning the elections gains primacy over everything else,” he said.

K.C. Joseph warns against conjectures

Senior Congress leader K.C. Joseph said senior leaders should “desist from broadcasting self-defeating conjectures” about the party’s prospective Chief Minister.

In a Facebook post, Mr. Joseph said the party was locked in a “live-or-die” electoral battle. “Tens of thousands of UDF workers are braving hostile circumstances, including the sweltering summer, to win the fight for the party and not to capture the Chief Minister’s post for any individual. Leaders should respect their sentiment and sacrifice”, he said. 

Mr. Joseph said he was not offering any counsel, but merely reminding leaders that they know how the Congress decides the party’s Chief Ministers. 

Satheesan sidesteps debate

Mr. Satheesan sought to sidestep the debate. He told reporters in Palakkad that the Opposition was fighting the polls as “Team UDF”.

He noted, somewhat cryptically, that the Congress had “a galaxy of leaders” capable of executing any political task given to them by the party.