Kerala CM Selection: Discussions to Begin in Evening, Says KPCC President Sunny Joseph

KPCC President Sunny Joseph on Saturday said that discussions regarding the selection of the next Chief Minister for Kerala "will begin in the evening," as internal consultations within the party and alliance continue. Talking to reporters, he said the meetings have not yet commenced and are scheduled to begin later in the day. "The meetings will begin only in the evening. I had noticed all the demonstrations. When I arrived yesterday, I received a warm welcome," Joseph said. Voicing the same opinions, Senior Congress leader and MLA-elect K Muraleedharan said the party high command was likely to take a final decision on Kerala's next CM within 24 hours. The UDF's sweeping Assembly poll victory in Kerala has triggered a wave of lobbying and demonstrations by the supporters of senior leaders V D Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala and K C Venugopal, urging the Congress leadership to select the respective leaders as the new CM. "The information from Delhi is that discussions on the chief ministerial candidate will be completed within 24 hours," Muraleedharan told reporters. Acknowledging public fervour, he emphasised that flex boards and marches alone would not determine the leadership. He added that the views of MLAs and coalition partners would also be considered by the Congress leadership. "I will not publicly reveal what I told the high command representatives. I have conveyed the sentiments of the people of my constituency. The opinions expressed by the people were clearly communicated to them. "A decision will come at the appropriate time. Seniority is not the sole criterion while selecting the chief minister. The party has not always followed that yardstick," he said.