Who will be new CM of Kerala? Congress' K Muraleedharan says decision likely in 48 hours as ‘disputes’ continue

As the Congress leadership continues to grapple with government formation in Kerala, Congress leader K Muraleedharan suggested on Monday (May 11) that the new Chief Minister of the state could be declared in 48 hours.

“I think within 48 hours, the decision will come," he told news agency ANI.

Muraleedharan said the Congress is a "democratic party, so they will apply all democratic methods – discuss with MLAs, coalition partners, and tomorrow they will discuss with former PCC President..."

He said a "dispute" is evident as "a new generation is coming up for the CM position."

"A new generation is coming up for the CM position, so automatically there will be disputes, discussions, it's natural...," Muraleedharan said.

Recently, the AICC leadership held discussions in New Delhi with the three main contenders for the chief minister's post — opposition leader in the 15th Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan, AICC general secretary in charge of organisation KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala — along with current KPCC president Sunny Joseph.

To break the deadlock, sources told PTI, the top leadership has now decided to hold discussions with former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) presidents before finalising the chief ministerial candidate.

Those who have been called by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to Delhi for the discussions, likely on Tuesday, include MM Hassan, VM Sudheeran, Mullapally Ramachandran and K Muraleedharan, besides veteran leader and Kannur Lok Sabha MP K Sudhakaran, sources told PTI.

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key constituent of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala, has expressed strong displeasure over the delay in picking the chief minister, warning that prolonged uncertainty could have political repercussions.

This is not the first time that the Congress has kept the decision on picking a chief minister hanging. Intense lobbying was witnessed when the Congress won the Karnataka polls in 2023, with the two top contenders – Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar – lobbying hard for the top post.

Finally, a compromise was reached, and Siddaramaiah was named chief minister with Shivakumar as his deputy.

The Kerala Congress (KEC) won eight seats, and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) three in the just concluded polls.

The UDF has won a total of 102 seats, which is more than a two-thirds majority.