Eight days after the Congress-led UDF stormed back to power in Kerala with a massive mandate, the state still does not know who its next chief minister will be — and now the delay is starting to spill onto the streets.
On Wednesday morning, posters targeting Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra appeared outside the District Congress Committee office in Wayanad, turning an internal leadership tussle into a very public embarrassment for the party.
The posters carried sharp warnings aimed directly at the Congress high command.
One of them read: “Mr Rahul and Priyanka, forget Wayanad. You won’t win again from here.”
Another appeared to target senior Congress leader K. C. Venugopal, one of the frontrunners for the chief minister’s post. “Mr Rahul, KC might be your bag bearer, but people of Keralam never forgive you.”
A third poster said: “RG and PG, this is not a warning. Kerala will never forgive you for this blunder.” Another read: "Wayanad will be next Amethi".
The posters surfaced at a time when frustration inside sections of the party appears to be growing over the prolonged delay in naming the next chief minister despite the UDF’s landslide victory.
The Congress-led alliance won 102 out of 140 seats in the Kerala Assembly elections, comfortably crossing the majority mark and returning to power after years in opposition. But even after more than a week, the party leadership has not announced who will lead the government.
And that silence is now becoming the story.
Why is Congress delaying the Kerala CM announcement?
The Congress high command has been holding multiple rounds of discussions in Delhi to decide between three major contenders:
- K. C. Venugopal
- V. D. Satheesan
- Ramesh Chennithala
Several senior Kerala Congress leaders were also called to Delhi for consultations with Rahul Gandhi.
Even after party observers met MLAs in Kerala and collected feedback, the final decision remained stuck, fueling speculation about disagreements within the party.
Why are the Wayanad posters becoming a big issue?
The posters matter because Wayanad is not just another constituency for Congress.
It is closely associated with Rahul Gandhi, who represented the Lok Sabha seat before shifting to Rae Bareli, while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra later became politically linked with the region during campaign activities.
So when posters appear there warning the Gandhi siblings to “forget Wayanad,” it sends a message far bigger than local anger.
It hints at dissatisfaction among sections of party workers and supporters who feel the leadership is either delaying too much or pushing the wrong candidate.
The posters also reflect a growing perception battle inside the Congress: whether decisions are being made based on grassroots support in Kerala or influence within the central leadership.
Who are the frontrunners in the Kerala CM race?
Three names continue to dominate the conversation.
V. D. Satheesan
Currently the Leader of Opposition in Kerala, Satheesan is seen as a strong organisational face who aggressively led the Congress campaign against the Left government.
K. C. Venugopal
A close aide of Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary, Venugopal is considered highly influential within the party’s national leadership structure.
Ramesh Chennithala
One of Kerala Congress’ senior-most leaders, Chennithala remains an experienced contender with longstanding organisational support.
What has Rahul Gandhi said about the Kerala CM issue?
So far, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leadership have not publicly commented on the posters or the criticism coming from Wayanad.
However, Rahul reportedly held meetings with former Kerala Congress chiefs in Delhi to understand the political mood in the state before making the final call.
Former KPCC president K Muraleedharan later said the party was expected to announce the chief minister’s name soon.
But with every passing day, the suspense is increasingly turning into pressure.
Is the Congress facing internal divisions in Kerala?
Officially, the Congress maintains that discussions are normal after a major election victory.
But the emergence of public posters, factional buzz, and open messaging against the high command suggestlikely tensions inside the party.
The BJP has also mocked the delay, with party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla taking a swipe at Congress and joking that the party may end up having “five chief ministers in five years.”
For now, Kerala is still waiting.
And until the Congress high command finally makes its choice, every hour of silence seems to be creating a new headline.
(With agency inputs)
