CLP authorises Congress high command to pick next Kerala CM

Amid intense discussions over leadership in Kerala, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) on Thursday passed a resolution authorising the party high command to take the final call on the chief ministerial candidate for the next Congress-led government in the state, party sources said.

The resolution was moved by Sunny Joseph, president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), during the CLP meeting held at Indira Bhavan in the presence of All India Congress Committee (AICC) observers Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken.

According to party sources, the resolution was unanimously adopted by newly elected MLAs and senior Congress leaders, formally empowering the party leadership in New Delhi to select the next chief minister.

Three senior Congress leaders are currently considered frontrunners for the top post — V.D. Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala and AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal.

The development comes after the Congress secured 63 seats in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, paving the way for a Congress-led United Democratic Front government in the state.

Following the adoption of the resolution, the AICC observers reportedly began one-on-one interactions with newly elected legislators to assess their views on the leadership question and internal equations within the party.

Senior Congress leaders and newly elected MLAs attended the closed-door CLP meeting, which remained focused on evolving a consensus over the leadership issue.

Earlier in the day, Wasnik and Maken also held consultations with several senior leaders, including V.M. Sudheeran, K. Sudhakaran, Ramesh Chennithala and V.D. Satheesan.

Party sources said the observers are expected to submit a detailed report to the Congress high command, which will take the final decision on the chief ministerial face.

The AICC observers are also scheduled to meet leaders of allied parties in the United Democratic Front later on Thursday as part of the government formation process.

With PTI inputs