Thiruvananthapuram, May 14 (IANS) Even before Chief Minister-designate V. D. Satheesan formally settles into office, one unmistakable reality has emerged inside the Congress — the influence of veteran leader A. K. Antony still looms large over every major political decision in Kerala.Hours after receiving a tumultuous welcome at the state Congress headquarters on Thursday afternoon, Satheesan drove straight to Antony’s residence in Thiruvananthapuram, underlining the continuing importance of …
Latest A.K. Antony News & Updates
Thiruvananthapuram, May 14 (IANS) Ten days after the results of the Assembly elections were announced, Congress is set to announce the new Chief Minister of Kerala on Thursday.The Congress high command on Wednesday night finally signalled that the wait for the southern state’s next Chief Minister was nearing an end.The breakthrough indication came when Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh stepped out of Congress President Mallikarjuna Kharge’s residence in Delhi and announced that discus…
New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, May 12 (IANS) After ten days of suspense, anxiety, lobbying and endless political whispers stretching from Delhi to Kerala, the Congress high command on Wednesday night finally signalled that the wait for the southern state’s next Chief Minister was nearing an end.The breakthrough indication came when Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh stepped out of Congress President Mallikarjuna Kharge’s residence in Delhi and announced that discussions authorised by the …
Thiruvananthapuram, May 13 (IANS) In a matter of hours, Kerala will know the name of its next Chief Minister, bringing an end to days of intense suspense, closed-door negotiations and political manoeuvring within the Congress-led UDF.Whoever finally emerges from the high command’s deliberations will enter not merely the government secretariat, but also a distinguished and turbulent chapter of Kerala’s political history, as the 13th individual to occupy the state’s highest office since its …
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…
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…