<p>Thiruvananthapuram: The All India Congress Committee's (AICC) warning to Congress leaders in Kerala aspiring for the chief minister post has brought cheers to the local leaders and workers of the Congress as well as its coalition partners in Kerala.</p><p>A bunch of party senior leaders including AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, Opposition leader V D Satheesan and former opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, were alleged to be the key CM aspirants, while former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee presidents K Sudhakaran and K Muraleedharan were also learnt to be trying their luck.</p>.<p>A few months back Congress working committee member Shashi Tharoor had shared on social media a survey that found him as the top choice as Congress-led United Democratic Front's (UDF) chief minister candidate.</p>.Tharoor shares survey showing public support for him as UDF's CM face.<p>Despite several efforts by the AICC to put an end to groupism by revamping the party state leadership, the party was witnessing more power centres emerging. There was also rising concern among some leaders that Venugopal is becoming more active in Kerala politics these days and trying to bring his loyalists to key party posts as part of his strategies to emerge as CM candidate.</p><p>The recent reconstitution of the KPCC leadership as well as the Youth Congress witnessed leaders expressing their differences openly.</p>.Kerala MLA Chandy Oommen says party colleague Abin Varkey deserved Youth Congress president post.<p>A large section in the Congress as well as its coalition partners, including the Indian Union Muslim League, were learnt to have conveyed their concerns that the power struggle among the Congress leaders could again play the spoil sport for the UDF's victory chances as it did during the 2021 Assembly election.</p><p>It was at this juncture that the AICC has come out with the strictures by asking the CM aspirants that no one will be projected as Chief Minister candidate ahead of the Assembly election, which is due to happen in a few months time, and the priority should be to work unitedly to ensure UDF's victory. The AICC had also strictly instructed that victory chances should be the priority in deciding candidates and not loyalty to leaders.</p><p>"The high command's intervention has come at the right time as the local body polls are expected to be announced any time and before the dust settles the assembly elections will emerge. Things need to be set straight in the party before the electioneering so that the bitter experience the UDF suffered in 2021 won't repeat in 2026," a UDF local leader commented.</p>
<p>Thiruvananthapuram: The All India Congress Committee's (AICC) warning to Congress leaders in Kerala aspiring for the chief minister post has brought cheers to the local leaders and workers of the Congress as well as its coalition partners in Kerala.</p><p>A bunch of party senior leaders including AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, Opposition leader V D Satheesan and former opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, were alleged to be the key CM aspirants, while former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee presidents K Sudhakaran and K Muraleedharan were also learnt to be trying their luck.</p>.<p>A few months back Congress working committee member Shashi Tharoor had shared on social media a survey that found him as the top choice as Congress-led United Democratic Front's (UDF) chief minister candidate.</p>.Tharoor shares survey showing public support for him as UDF's CM face.<p>Despite several efforts by the AICC to put an end to groupism by revamping the party state leadership, the party was witnessing more power centres emerging. There was also rising concern among some leaders that Venugopal is becoming more active in Kerala politics these days and trying to bring his loyalists to key party posts as part of his strategies to emerge as CM candidate.</p><p>The recent reconstitution of the KPCC leadership as well as the Youth Congress witnessed leaders expressing their differences openly.</p>.Kerala MLA Chandy Oommen says party colleague Abin Varkey deserved Youth Congress president post.<p>A large section in the Congress as well as its coalition partners, including the Indian Union Muslim League, were learnt to have conveyed their concerns that the power struggle among the Congress leaders could again play the spoil sport for the UDF's victory chances as it did during the 2021 Assembly election.</p><p>It was at this juncture that the AICC has come out with the strictures by asking the CM aspirants that no one will be projected as Chief Minister candidate ahead of the Assembly election, which is due to happen in a few months time, and the priority should be to work unitedly to ensure UDF's victory. The AICC had also strictly instructed that victory chances should be the priority in deciding candidates and not loyalty to leaders.</p><p>"The high command's intervention has come at the right time as the local body polls are expected to be announced any time and before the dust settles the assembly elections will emerge. Things need to be set straight in the party before the electioneering so that the bitter experience the UDF suffered in 2021 won't repeat in 2026," a UDF local leader commented.</p>