As debates over the UDF’s Chief Ministerial candidate intensify, IUML and Congress leaders on Friday called for restraint, warning that public discussions could hurt party unity and morale. IUML state general secretary PMA Salam on Friday stated that United Democratic Front (UDF) supporters across Kerala are disappointed by the premature debates and public statements regarding the Chief Minister’s position within the Congress.

He clarified that the Muslim League will share its views only when formal discussions take place within the UDF. “These discussions are untimely. If a Chief Minister is to be decided, the votes must first be counted and a clear majority secured. It is not appropriate to make internal UDF deliberations public. Thousands of UDF supporters have worked tirelessly during the election campaign, and such discussions are disheartening for them,” Salam said.

Salam also noted that appointing someone who did not contest the Assembly elections as Chief Minister is not unprecedented in Kerala, although he was not endorsing the idea. He cautioned that ongoing speculation could demoralise party workers and urged leaders to act responsibly. “Leaders should be careful while making public statements. There should be no actions that disappoint party workers,” he added.

Meanwhile, Congress MP M K Raghavan criticised the ongoing discussions among party leaders, saying such debates should not take place even before counting is completed. “What I said was that every day, a cyber campaign is ongoing due to these discussions, which hurts the Congress party,” he said. On whether Chief Ministerial aspirants were involved, he said he was unaware and did not think so.

Raghavan also criticised leaders Sunny Joseph and Mohammed Shiyas for initiating discussions on who should be the next Chief Minister from the UDF. The directive that MPs should not contest Assembly elections came from the state leadership and was the result of 'obstinacy' from a certain leader. “If the aim is to bring the UDF back to power, all seats should be considered tactically,” he said.

“These discussions on who will be the next Chief Minister are immature and have caused dissatisfaction among leaders and workers. If this is how discussions are now, what will happen when these leaders reach the Chief Minister’s position?” he asked, adding that the Congress High Command would intervene if the issue escalates.

On Thursday, senior leader and Congress Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala had called for an immediate end to 'unnecessary' social media campaigns projecting specific candidates for the Chief Minister’s post. In a direct response to the ongoing campaigns backing AICC general secretary and Alappuzha MP K C Venugopal and Opposition Leader V D Satheesan, Chennithala, himself seen as a potential candidate, termed the discussions premature and harmful to party discipline.

KPCC chief Sunny Joseph had also urged senior Congress leaders to refrain from speculating on the Chief Ministerial candidate, stating that this was not the right time for such discussions.