KC Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala meet Sonia Gandhi in Delhi amid deliberations over Kerala CM post

After UDF wins 102 seats in Kerala, Congress begins deliberations over chief minister with senior leaders meeting Sonia Gandhi in Delhi.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has won a landslide victory in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections. The party has now begun deliberations over who will be the next chief minister of Kerala. Senior Congress leaders KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala visited the residence of Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Wednesday. The party is yet to finalise a name for the post.

Besides Venugopal and Chennithala, Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan is also among the names being considered for the top post.

Congress high command to take final call

Ramesh Chennithala said all key decisions, including the choice of chief minister, would be taken by the Congress high command. He said the party had won a remarkable victory in Kerala and that all senior leaders would accept whatever decision the high command made.

Government formation process underway

The Congress has begun the process of government formation. The UDF won 102 seats in the 140-member assembly, securing a clear majority. Congress emerged as the largest party in the alliance with 63 seats, while its ally the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) won 22 seats. The Left secured eight seats.

The party has appointed Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik as observers to gather the views of newly elected legislators and build consensus on the chief minister's name.

KC Venugopal thanked the people of Kerala for the victory, saying the public had reposed faith in the Congress and the UDF alliance. He said the win had come under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge.

The elections were held on 9 April. Posters of KC Venugopal have appeared on Thiruvananthapuram Road, further adding to the deliberations over who will lead the new government.