Thiruvananthapuram, May 11 The Congress leadership’s prolonged indecision over Kerala’s next Chief Minister is now beginning to trigger visible unease within the UDF, with both alliance partners and factional camps stepping up pressure on the party high command as the suspense stretches into a second week after the Assembly election verdict.
In a dramatic development on Monday, a proposed joint meeting of leaders aligned with Congress General Secretary, Organisation, K.C. Venugopal and former state unit chief K. Sudhakaran at Sudhakaran’s residence in Kannur was abruptly postponed at the last minute after news of the gathering surfaced in the media.
The meeting, widely viewed within Congress circles as an attempt by the two camps to demonstrate coordinated political strength amid the leadership tussle, had already attracted considerable attention.
Local Congress leaders identified with both factions had begun arriving at Sudhakaran’s residence before the sudden decision to defer the discussions.
"I just came to meet my leader, and there is nothing beyond that," a Congress leader told the media.
Though leaders publicly described it as a personal interaction, the political messaging surrounding the proposed meeting became impossible to ignore once reports emerged linking it to the intensifying chief ministerial race.
The developments come even as sharp criticism has now surfaced from within the UDF itself.
UDF's second-largest constituent, the Indian Union Muslim League's Malappuram district General Secretary P. Abdul Hameed openly criticised the Congress leadership for delaying the decision, warning that the uncertainty could have serious political consequences.
A former MLA, Hameed said Kerala’s politically aware electorate would not tolerate prolonged indecision.
"You cannot tell workers that it took days in Delhi to decide a Chief Minister and expect them to accept it," he remarked bluntly, reflecting growing frustration among UDF workers.
Abdul Hameed said the delay had created a situation where even victory celebrations were being muted in several places, with grassroots workers facing uncomfortable questions from the public over why the leadership was unable to take a final call despite the alliance’s emphatic mandate.
Meanwhile, the Congress high command has intensified consultations in Delhi, with senior leaders including K. Muraleedharan, M. M. Hassan and Mullappally Ramachandran being called to Delhi for discussions as the party attempts to bring the increasingly delicate power struggle to a close.
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