New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram May 12 (IANS) After eight days of suspense, endless speculation and multiple rounds of closed-door negotiations, the Congress high command finally appears to be inching towards a decision on Kerala’s next Chief Minister, with senior leader K. Muraleedharan indicating that the long wait could end very soon.A key meeting is going on in the residence of senior party leader Sonia Gandhi, with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also being present.The f…
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New Delhi, May 12 (IANS) Eight days after the Congress-led UDF stormed to power with a spectacular 102 seats in the 140-member Kerala Assembly, the alliance still finds itself without a captain at the helm.What was expected to be a swift and celebratory transition of power has instead turned into a gripping political suspense drama, with the Congress high command yet to reveal its choice for the coveted chief minister’s chair.Even as celebrations continue across Kerala over the UDF’s emphati…
Thiruvananthapuram, May 11 (IANS) Even before the suspense over Kerala’s next Chief Minister comes to an end, the Congress party has already opened another front, this time for the powerful post of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President.If the race for the Chief Minister’s chair has resembled a political thriller over the past week, the emerging contest for the party presidency is beginning to look like the sequel nobody in the Congress wanted to delay.With indications growing st…
Thiruvananthapuram, May 7 (IANS) Even before the Congress high command settles on Kerala’s next Chief Minister, a politically uncomfortable question has begun echoing across party circles, social media platforms and tea shops alike: if Members of Parliament were barred from contesting the Assembly elections, how can a sitting MP now emerge as a frontrunner for the top post? At the centre of the debate is K. C. Venugopal, the powerful AICC general secretary who has unexpectedly emerged as a ser…
Thiruvananthapuram, May 7 (IANS) The battle for Kerala’s next Chief Minister has now firmly shifted to New Delhi after the Congress Legislature Party on Thursday unanimously authorised party President Mallikarjuna Kharge to take the final call on the leadership issue, setting the stage for a high-stakes political showdown within the victorious Congress camp.At the crucial Legislature Party meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, state Congress chief Sunny Joseph moved the customary one…
Thiruvananthapuram, May 5 (IANS) After a big win in the Assembly elections and trouncing the Left Front, the Congress party finds itself in the midst of an open contest for the top post, turning a predictable transition into a high-stakes race.In earlier decades, the question of leadership rarely invited prolonged uncertainty.When stalwarts like K. Karunakaran, A.K. Antony and Oommen Chandy rose to the Chief Minister’s office, the path was largely clear.Karunakaran went on to hold the post fou…
Thiruvananthapuram, May 4 (IANS) As the scale of the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) victory became clear, senior Congress leaders framed the verdict as both an endorsement of public trust and a call to rebuild Kerala’s governance framework.Even as the final tally has not yet been declared by the Election Commission, the UDF has touched 102 seats, the Left stands at 35, and the BJP has won three seats, according to trends available so far.Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who campaigned extensiv…
Thiruvananthapuram, April 24 (IANS) Even before the counting begins, Kerala’s familiar electoral suspense has given way to a more predictable drama, one within the Indian National Congress.Polling concluded on April 9, with results due only on May 4. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), buoyed by expectations of returning to power after a decade, finds itself grappling with a resurfacing ailment: leadership jockeying.The unusual break in Kerala’s long-standing pattern of alternati…
Thiruvananthapuram, April 11 (IANS) As Kerala awaits election results, one figure looms larger than any other in the state’s political landscape, Pinarayi Vijayan. Now 80, the veteran CPI(M) leader is seeking a historic third-consecutive term as Chief Minister, a feat no leader in Kerala’s political history has achieved.Vijayan’s political style has always been defined by a tough, no-nonsense demeanor, markedly different from his Congress counterparts.Leaders like K. Karunakaran, A.K. Anto…
Thiruvananthapuram, April 9 (IANS) Veteran Congress leader A.K. Antony on Thursday set the tone for the United Democratic Front (UDF) campaign narrative, predicting a historic victory in Kerala and asserting that a strong anti-incumbency wave would bring an end to the decade-long rule of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.Antony said the mood for change has been evident from the early days of campaigning, but intensified significantly in recent days.“This will be a verdict stronger than what we s…