By Suresh Unnithan
Following the Congress-led UDF’s crushing landslide victory in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections — storming to 102 seats and reducing the ruling LDF to a pathetic 35 — the party’s internal power struggle has descended into a disgraceful spectacle. Instead of focusing on governance and consolidating the historic mandate after ten years in opposition, factions are openly campaigning and lobbying for the Chief Minister’s post. The three names doing the rounds are V.D. Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala, and K.C. Venugopal. For any objective observer, the choice is crystal clear: only one leader truly deserves the top job.
This victory was not gifted by anti-incumbency. It was hard-earned through five years of relentless, uncompromising opposition. Congress alone secured 63 seats, dramatically slashing the bargaining power of regional allies like the Muslim League and Kerala Congress factions. Any attempt to deny the rightful claimant amid this ugly lobbying would amount to rank betrayal of the mandate.
The Uncompromising Secular Warrior
The standout leader in this battle has demonstrated rock-solid, uncompromising secular credentials. In Kerala’s toxic ecosystem of community bargaining, where politicians routinely grovel before caste and religious overlords, he refused to bend. He fearlessly confronted heavyweights like Vellappally Natesan and Sukumaran Nair. Even when Natesan publicly abused and targeted him, he stood firm without offering any shameful compromise for electoral gains. This courage restored the Congress’s secular spine and powerfully attracted the state’s crucial 25% neutral voters — the educated middle ground tired of identity politics.
These neutral voters swung heavily towards Congress because they saw a modern, articulate, and fearless leader who exposed the LDF’s failures with forensic precision — from the AI camera scam to the K-Rail disaster. He single-handedly revived demoralised party workers and turned the Congress into a formidable force.
Sharp Critique of the Contenders
Ramesh Chennithala represents the weak, outdated politics that Kerala voters decisively rejected. Widely viewed as a perpetual “yes man,” he is seen as habitually compromising, soft on accountability, and overly focused on backstage balancing to keep factions satisfied. His accommodating style belongs to a tired era of internal comfort rather than the bold confrontation needed to defeat the LDF. Rewarding him would mean prioritising mere seniority over the aggressive leadership that actually delivered seats.
K.C. Venugopal fares even worse. Perceived as a classic Delhi-based “dealer,” his influence stems not from grassroots connect or mass struggles in Kerala but from high-command patronage and organisational manoeuvring. He survives and thrives at the mercy of the AICC bosses. Backing from factional leaders like former KPCC president K. Sudhakaran only reinforces his image as a transactional insider more comfortable in Delhi than on Kerala’s battlegrounds. Elevating him would send a rotten message — that loyalty to the high command matters more than the hard work that secured 63 seats. It would be nothing short of imposition from above.
Infighting Threatens the Mandate
This open campaigning and lobbying has forced the KPCC to issue stern warnings. Allies are uneasy, though the Kerala Congress (Joseph) has wisely called it an internal affair. Such petty power games risk wasting the victory’s momentum and giving the routed LDF — which lost 13 ministers — an early opportunity to regroup.
The deserving leader possesses the full package: sharp intellect, combative oratory, administrative capability, and the moral spine to resist communal pressures. He is fully equipped to lead both the party and the government with authority and a clear secular vision.
A Warning to the High Command
The AICC high command must immediately put an end to this undignified lobbying. National leaders are believed to understand the ground reality — that the true architect of this spectacular resurgence deserves the chair. Choosing otherwise would punish success and reward either outdated accommodation or Delhi-centric deal-making.
The 2026 verdict is a mandate for bold change, not recycled factionalism. Overlooking the leader who won the neutral voters and delivered the landslide would be both unjust and suicidal.
Enough of the disgraceful infighting and lobbying. The high command should rise above narrow interests and reward the leadership that made this thumping victory possible. Kerala is watching.
