T’PURAM/DELHI: In a major step towards ending the suspense over the next chief minister, the Congress top brass has decided to take former KPCC presidents into confidence before announcing its choice. The move comes amid mounting criticism, including from ally IUML, over the delay in deciding the CM as a week has passed after the assembly poll results handed UDF a thumping majority.AICC general secretary Deepa Dasmunshi on Monday contacted former KPCC presidents Mullappally Ramachandran, V M Sudheeran, M M Hassan, K Muraleedharan and K Sudhakaran, asking them to reach the national capital on Tuesday for discussions with Rahul Gandhi. Senior leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan has also been invited for consultations.Sources said the leaders would be briefed on the choice of the new CM and the reasons that led the high command to arrive at the decision. The move is being viewed as an effort to ensure a broader consensus and avoid internal dissent ahead of the formal announcement.A wider consultation process could also be the leadership’s way to ringfence itself from any blame that may arise after the final decision.Meanwhile, indications have emerged that K C Venugopal has gained a clear advantage in the race over other contenders, V D Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala. The party leadership has reportedly accelerated steps for a formal announcement, which could come as early as Tuesday or Wednesday. The party leadership is also considering convening a meeting of the Congress legislature party to make the formal announcement.The indications favouring Venugopal gathered momentum after late-night discussions between Rahul and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday. Only a few formal consultations with Sonia Gandhi are believed to remain before the final decision is sealed. The high command is also understood to be confident that alliance partners will not raise major objections. Coalition allies have reportedly informed Congress leadership that the party is free to decide its CM nominee independently.Satheesan, who spearheaded the party’s charge against LDF govt, is said to have told the leadership that he will not join the state govt if he is not made CM.The prolonged consultations suggest that the party fears a blowback in leaving out Satheesan, and is taking pains to ensure that the final nominee is well received. Many on social media have threatened protests, while others have said that any CM other than Satheesan would take the sheen off UDF’s landslide victory. Congress can ill afford such a situation as it will immediately have to face two byelections that would be necessitated by Venugopal quitting Lok Sabha seat and contesting assembly seat.It is learnt that Mullappally Ramachandran has expressed his inability to travel to Delhi, following which Dasmunshi informed him that Rahul would speak to him over phone. The remaining leaders are expected to participate in the discussions in person. Rahul has already held discussions with senior leader A K Antony and Kharge, while also seeking the views of Priyanka Gandhi as the leadership race entered its decisive stage.Sources said Rahul might also hold discussions over the phone with leaders of alliance partners before the final decision is announced. Some senior leaders who received calls from Dasmunshi reportedly conveyed that, if the high command had already arrived at a decision, there should be no further delay in making the announcement.According to sources, several leaders who spoke to Dasmunshi expressed concern that the delay had already caused considerable damage to the party and diluted the impact of UDF’s emphatic electoral victory. They also pointed out that all the major contenders for the CM’s post had publicly stated that they would abide by the decision of the AICC, leaving little reason for any further delay.
