T’puram: Signs of unrest are emerging within the Congress state unit as the ongoing debate over the chief ministerial candidate intensified and exposed internal divisions ahead of the assembly election results declaration on May 4. A section of state leaders approached AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and LS opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and expressed concerns over the manner in which the public discourse on the chief minister’s post has turned the party into a divided house.Party functionaries reportedly conveyed that neither AICC nor KPCC intervened to contain the debates and said they fear this could damage the party’s prospects in Kerala. They cautioned that even in the event of a sweeping victory for UDF, such public disagreements could weaken the party’s position. They emphasized that voters have backed the party with high expectations and warned that the ongoing leadership tussle could undermine public confidence.Leaders raised concerns over the perceived inaction of the central leadership in addressing the issue. A letter by MP Benny Behanan to Kharge is understood to have highlighted the concerns. Strong criticism was also directed at senior leader K Sudhakaran for triggering the controversy by openly advocating a chief ministerial candidate. He had recently expressed support for AICC general secretary K C Venugopal in a social media post.Neutral factions within the party suspect that the debate is part of a well-orchestrated attempt by a section of leaders to project Venugopal as the preferred CM candidate. The development reportedly irked the supporters of V D Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala who are both considered frontrunners for the post if UDF comes to power.Meanwhile, senior leader K Muraleedharan rejected the idea of a rotational chief ministership and asserted that whoever is chosen should serve a full five-year term. He criticized Sudhakaran’s public remarks and said that while individuals are free to express opinions, such matters should be handled internally.Party sources indicated that Kharge is not in favour of open discussions on leadership issues and prefers consensus-building within the organization. There is also growing demand within the state unit for KPCC to take a clear stand on the matter.
