KC Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala arrive at Sonia Gandhi's residence as speculation on Keralam next CM grows

New Delhi [India], May 6 (ANI): Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday reached the residence of Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi as the party is yet to decide on Keralam's next Chief Minister after the thumping victory in the assembly elections.
KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala are among the key contenders in the race for Keralam's top position, alongside Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan.
Earlier, Chennithala said, "The party will take a final decision on all these issues. In Keralam, we got a spectacular victory... Now, the other things will be decided by the Congress high command. There are several leaders in the Congress party, but whatever the high command decides, all the Congress leaders will accept it."
Congress has begun the process of government formation in Keralam, where the party-led UDF registered a thumping victory in the assembly polls, winning 102 seats in the 140-member assembly.
Sources said that the party has appointed its leaders, Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik, as observers to know the views of its newly elected MLAs to decide the choice of Chief Minister.
Earlier, KC Venugopal expressed his gratitude to the people of Keralam, stating, "The people of Kerala have bestowed their faith in the Congress party and UDF alliance. They have faith in the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Kharge ji."
The UDF's win has been seen as a major political shift in the state, reflecting the growing support for Congress and its allies while reinforcing the party's influence under the guidance of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge.
Meanwhile, posters of Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal were put up along Trivandrum Road on Tuesday as part of celebrations following the Congress-led United Democratic Front's (UDF) sweeping victory in the Keralam Assembly 2026 elections, even as speculation intensifies over the alliance's chief ministerial candidate.
The UDF secured a commanding 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly with the declaration of the results of the April 9 elections on Monday, marking a decisive mandate and a significant political shift in the state after a decade. The Congress emerged as the single largest party within the alliance with 63 seats, while its key ally, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), won 22 seats. (ANI)