'Satheesan should be made Chief Minister'; Congress workers stage protests in various parts of state

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Following the UDF's massive victory in the Kerala assembly elections, the discussions over the Chief Minister post in the alliance have reached the final stage. AICC observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik, who arrived in Thiruvananthapuram as per the instructions of the Congress high command, have returned to Delhi after holding discussions with MLAs and leaders of constituent parties. K C Venugopal, V D Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala are the frontrunners for the CM post.

Meanwhile, Congress workers held large demonstrations in various parts of the state in support of V D Satheesan. The first protest was held at Nettoor in Ernakulam. Later, similar demonstrations were organised in Kannur, the home district of KPCC president Sunny Joseph, and in several other places. Hundreds of party workers took part in the rallies, carrying huge flex boards and posters of V D Satheesan.

Workers told the media that Satheesan had performed strongly as Opposition Leader and that denying him the Chief Minister post would be unfair to the people. They also demanded that the Congress high command respect public sentiment. Demonstrations supporting Satheesan were also held in Kodungallur, Mukkam, and Iritty.

At the same time, the Muslim League reportedly supported Satheesan during discussions with the AICC observers. The party said that people had voted for the leadership and campaign led by Satheesan, and this should be taken into account. However, Congress leader Mathew Kuzhalnadan said that the Muslim League should not interfere in the internal matters of the Congress party. Soon after his statement, Youth League workers in Irikkur put up flex boards criticising him.