KeralaKerala Assembly Elections 2026Indian National CongressUnited Democratic FrontBharatiya Janata Party
BJP Mocks Congress Leadership Tussle Over Kerala Chief Minister Post
Published: May 11, 2026
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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala on Monday waded into the Congress party's internal leadership struggle over the Chief Minister's post, with State President Rajeev Chandrasekhar making a pointed remark on social media. Responding to online speculation, Chandrasekhar said he would "neither confirm nor deny" that the BJP preferred All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal as Kerala's next Chief Minister, a comment widely seen as an attempt to deepen divisions within the Congress.
The remark followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent criticism of the Congress for failing to name a Chief Minister despite its victory in the Kerala Assembly elections, which he attributed to factionalism within the party. Modi had also cited similar infighting in Karnataka as detrimental to governance, linking internal discord to stalled development.
Chandrasekhar's comment appeared to be a retaliatory move after K.C. Venugopal accused him of hiding assets in his election affidavit. It also triggered a wave of social media trolling targeting Congress leaders in Kerala, particularly those who previously defected to the BJP. Congress leaders M. Liju and Ramesh Chennithala dismissed the jibe, with Liju affirming loyalty to Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, while Chennithala highlighted the BJP's own 50-day delay in appointing a Chief Minister in Haryana.
The AICC is expected to finalize the Kerala Chief Minister nominee in the coming days. The Congress leadership's decision will be formally announced after consultations with coalition partners in the United Democratic Front.