'May prove self-destructive': A K Antony to Congress leaders on future Kerala CM discussions

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress top leaders in Kerala have decided to put a stop to the discussions and debates over the future probable chief minister of the party as veteran leaders have raised caution and many expressed strong resentment.

Former defence minister A K Antony, who is one of the senior most leaders of the party in the country now, has cautioned that the ongoing discussion on the future leader in 2026 assembly polls could become self-destructive for the party in the local body elections which is set to happen this year.

Many party leaders were also learnt to have expressed their strong reservations against the overt and covert moves of party top leaders eyeing leadership in the 2026 assembly polls. Such tussles had, indeed, led to the party's defeat in the assembly polls for the second consecutive time in 2021, they point out.

"The present focus should be on the local body polls. Discussions on who will lead the party in 2026 can take place afterwards," said Antony.

It was the recent invitation to former opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala to the birth anniversary celebrations of the Nair Service Society founder Mannathu Padmanabhan on January 2 that kicked off the discussions. The move, especially, since the incumbent opposition leader V D Satheesan does not share good ties with leadership of the NSS that represents the Hindu Nair community -  the second largest community in Kerala - triggered much curiosity.

Chennithala got a shot in the arm as Vellappally Natesan, who is the general secretary of Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana yogam, a forum of the prominent Hindu Ezhava community, too hailed him as the most eligible Congress leader in Kerala to become Chief Minister.

The other CM aspirants in the Congress in Kerala got further irked as Indian Union Muslim League supremo Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal also praised Chennithala, who attended the Jamia conference at Malappuram last week.

These developments had triggered counter reactions from many senior Congress leaders, including Satheesan, Kerala PCC president K Sudhakaran and former KPCC president K Muraleedharan.

This led to strong resentment among the rank and file of the grand old party. Its senior leader Antony was forced to openly caution the leaders not to play the spoil sport.