No point in CM debate before results, says Chennithala; slams social media campaigns

Kochi: Amid controversies within the UDF over who was likely to be the next Chief Minister of Kerala even before the votes were counted, senior leader and Congress Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala called for an immediate end to 'unnecessary' social media campaigns projecting specific candidates for the CM's post.

In a direct response to the brewing cyber campaign for AICC general secretary and Alappuzha MP KC Venugopal and opposition leader VD Satheesan, Chennithala, who is also seen as a potential CM candidate, dismissed the discussions as premature and harmful to party discipline.

“The current controversies regarding the Chief Minister post are unnecessary. People have already voted, and the machines are in safe custody. There is no meaning in creating such controversies before the counting starts,” Chennithala told the media in Kochi on Thursday.

When asked if his exclusion from these social media debates was intentional, Chennithala emphasised that leadership was not decided by online polls. “I have great respect for social media. But I am not interested in such controversies. Social media does not decide the Congress Chief Minister. There are established methods for it. It is a matter for the Congress High Command to decide at the appropriate time,” Chennithala added.

The controversy was ignited by former KPCC president and Kannur MP K Sudhakaran, whose recent Facebook post praising Venugopal as a leader capable of giving 'strong direction' to Kerala has sent shockwaves through the party. This signals a sharp shift for Sudhakaran, who only weeks ago had publicly indicated his support for Chennithala as Chief Minister.

Reacting to a question on why Sudhakaran was backing Venugopal, Chennithala smiled and said: “Sudhakaran is a good friend of mine.”

The irony of Sudhakaran’s push for Venugopal, a sitting Rajya Sabha MP, has not gone unnoticed within party circles. Earlier in the election cycle, Sudhakaran himself had led a near-revolt against the High Command’s directive barring sitting MPs from contesting Assembly polls to avoid unnecessary bypolls.

If Venugopal were to be named Chief Minister, it would trigger a double bypoll scenario, one for an Assembly seat to enable him to assume office, and another for the Alappuzha Lok Sabha seat he currently represents. By that logic, Sudhakaran would have been expected to oppose such a move. Ironically, he is now backing Venugopal. Party workers see this as an attempt to sideline Satheesan. Sudhakaran and Satheesan have historically faced strained relations, with incidents like public criticism showcasing their differences.

However, the sudden shift in Sudhakaran’s stance has triggered significant unrest within the party workers, forcing Sudhakaran to disable comments on his social media post following intense backlash from party rank and file. Supporters of Satheesan, along with other party workers, flooded the comment section, protesting the move and arguing that Satheesan was more deserving of the leadership role.

The internal friction has already drawn a sharp rebuke from other senior leaders like K Muraleedharan, who warned that such public posturing 'only served to dampen the morale' of workers who campaigned for a united front.