All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal has dismissed speculations about the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) chief ministerial face for the upcoming Assembly polls in Kerala, while claiming that “winnability” will be a major criterion while choosing party candidates.
He was delivering a speech after opening a two-day leadership summit organised by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), titled ‘Lakshya 2026,’ here on Sunday (January 4, 2026).
Mr. Venugopal pointed out that the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led [CPI(M)] Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) National Democratic Alliance (NDA) were taken aback by the advances made by the UDF in the recently concluded local body polls. To overcome their embarrassment, both these fronts and those who support them were coming up with all kinds of theories about an internal revolt within the Congress, he claimed. “Stories are being spread through the media about how the UDF has many chief ministerial aspirants, whether incumbent MPs will contest the Assembly polls and so on. Another question being asked is whether the UDF has a strong leader like Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. I dare to say that we have at least 10 leaders who are stronger than Mr. Vijayan,” Mr. Venugopal said. He also wondered if Mr. Vijayan was the LDF’s chief ministerial candidate before he assumed office for the first time.
Meanwhile, Mr. Venugopal urged the party leaders to refrain from engaging in open discussions about the candidate selection. He said that it was quite natural for them to have ambitions and grievances. However, the party workers should not air their opinions in public as it could give a “political weapon” to the UDF’s rivals. “We will ensure that all sections of society, including the youth and women, get a fair representation in the candidates’ list. Nobody should declare themselves as a candidate. We have a guideline for the selection process. Please wait for the time being,” he said.
While delivering the presidential address, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said that the UDF had crossed the halfway mark in the race to capture power in the State by making it big in the local body polls. The party workers need to work hard to continue this winning streak in the Assembly election, he added.
Functionaries of the KPCC, district Congress committees, and affiliate organisations, members of the core committee and political affairs committee, MPs and MLAs are attending the camp. Zonal level discussions will be held on an action plan to be implemented for the Assembly poll campaign and the guidelines for candidates’ selection. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan is expected to present a blue print of the plan on Monday (January 5, 2026).
Published – January 04, 2026 04:15 pm IST
