Congress Comeback in Kerala in a Quagmire as State Still Yet to Decide the Next Chief Minister

The final verdict of the people in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections gave victory to the Congress-led UDF, which secured over 100 seats, while the CPM-led LDF won 35 seats. Days after the election results, with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam unable to form the government in Tamil Nadu and growing confusion over the selection of Kerala’s next Chief Minister, the internet has been flooded with memes.

Former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tendered his resignation after the LDF’s defeat on 5 May 2026. Since then, the internet has been reacting to the internal conflict among Congress leaders over who will become the next Chief Minister of Kerala. The list has now reportedly narrowed down to three names — V. D. Satheesan, K. C. Venugopal, and Ramesh Chennithala.

See Also: Will BJP Make Nemom Its Fortress in the Kerala Assembly Election 2026 with Rajeev Chandrasekhar as Its Guardian?

Both V. D. Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala reached Delhi on 9 May 2026, as party leaders said the Congress high command is likely to make the final decision after discussions with the All India Congress Committee (AICC). While Satheesan remains the popular choice for the position, K. C. Venugopal has reportedly received support from 47 of the 63 elected Congress MLAs for the Chief Minister’s post.

Sunny Joseph, the Kerala Congress president, stated, “An announcement will be made by the high command. There are democratic processes within the party that will be undertaken.”

V. D. Satheesan contested from the Paravur constituency and won the seat by defeating CPI leader E.T. Taison and Vathsala Prasanna Kumar from the BJP. Meanwhile, Ramesh Chennithala won from the Haripad constituency, defeating Sandheep Vachaspati from the BJP and Ramesh C from IND.

With questions over the next Kerala Chief Minister still lingering, various reports suggest that either V. D. Satheesan or K. C. Venugopal could emerge as the winner. Some Congress leaders and workers have protested against Venugopal being pushed for the Chief Minister’s position despite not being an MLA. Congress leader K. Muraleedharan stated that the party high command will announce the final decision, which will decide the fate of the state, within the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, netizens have taken it upon themselves to explain Kerala’s political situation through memes. Several posts showing the trio fighting for the position have gone viral in Kerala. In one meme, the trio is seen playing musical chairs, a game in which the person who sits on the chair when the music stops wins.

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