Congress struggles to pick Kerala CM amid factional war, BJP hits out

Ten days after winning the Kerala elections, the Congress party is yet to announce its Chief Minister. The delay stems from a three-way contest between senior leaders KC Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala, and VD Satheesan. Marathon meetings are underway in Delhi, with Rahul Gandhi holding discussions to resolve the deadlock. Meanwhile, the BJP has strongly criticised the Congress high command, accusing it of insulting the mandate and failing to manage internal squabbles. The current crisis in Kerala mirrors the Congress party's historical struggles with leadership battles in several other states. Past instances include the ongoing rotational Chief Minister dispute between Siddaramaiah and D.K. Shivakumar in Karnataka, the 2018 Kamal Nath versus Jyotiraditya Scindia rift in Madhya Pradesh, and the 2021 clash between Amarinder Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu in Punjab. Similar factional wars have also plagued the party in Rajasthan between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, and in Chhattisgarh involving Bhupesh Baghel and T.S. Singh Deo.