The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF)'s return to power in Kerala has set off an intense internal scramble for the Chief Minister's chair — and at its centre is a question that is proving politically awkward for the high command: if sitting Members of Parliament were barred from contesting the April 9 Assembly elections, how can a sitting MP now be the frontrunner for the state's top post?

The Venugopal Factor

K. C. Venugopal, the powerful All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and a sitting Lok Sabha MP, has unexpectedly emerged as a serious contender for the Kerala Chief Minister's post following the UDF's emphatic victory. Sources within the party indicate that a sizeable number of newly elected MLAs have backed Venugopal, followed by outgoing Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan.

The optics are uncomfortable for the high command. Ahead of the Assembly polls, the Congress leadership had reportedly taken a firm stand that sitting MPs should stay out of the state electoral battle — the reasoning being that parliamentarians should focus on national politics while state leaders led Kerala's comeback mission.

The MP Ban and Its Fallout

That directive had disappointed several senior leaders who were eager to return to state politics. Among those keen to contest were UDF convenor Adoor Prakash and former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran. Sudhakaran, according to party sources, resisted the directive strongly — the standoff reportedly reaching near breaking point before veteran Congress leader A. K. Antony personally intervened to persuade him to relent.

Now, with Venugopal's name gaining momentum, questions over political consistency are surfacing sharply within the party and across social media platforms.

The Other Contenders

Supporters of Satheesan argue that it was he who led the Congress revival from the front — both inside the Assembly and on the streets during the party's difficult years in opposition — and that his claim to the post is the strongest on merit. Former Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala also remains in contention, asserting that seniority cannot be overlooked in the final decision.

Adding to the churn, Sudhakaran — who is known to share a strained relationship with Satheesan — remarked after meeting AICC observers on Thursday that the Congress was a party with "hundreds of Satheesans", a remark widely interpreted as a signal of his own preference against the outgoing opposition leader.

High Command to Decide by Sunday

KPCC president Sunny Joseph confirmed that the Congress legislature party has passed a one-line resolution authorising party chief Mallikarjuna Kharge to take the final call on the Chief Minister's name. Both Satheesan and Chennithala have been asked to report to Delhi on Friday, and the new Chief Minister of Kerala is expected to be announced by Sunday.

The Venugopal question is only growing louder outside closed-door meetings — and how the high command resolves it will set the tone for Congress's internal credibility as it returns to power in one of its most important states.