'He worked over time to become the natural claimant,' a senior UDF leader observed. 'Others had organisational stature, but Satheesan had momentum.' For the Congress, it may signal the beginning of a new leadership template -- one where performance, communication and grassroots credibility increasingly outweigh inherited power structures in deciding who leads the party into its next phase.
As the CLP meeting passed a resolution authorising the party's high command to decide the next CM, observers will file a report to the Congress national leadership, who will take the final call.
Intense lobbying is underway in Kerala as V D Satheesan, K C Venugopal, and Ramesh Chennithala vie for the chief minister's post, with their camps citing popularity, MLA support, and experience as key factors for the Congress high command's decision.
Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan said the party high command was likely to take a final decision on Kerala's next CM within 24 hours as lobbying intensifies among the three top contenders for the chief minister's post.
The Congress party has announced VD Satheesan as the next chief minister of Kerala, ending days of speculation. The decision was revealed at a press conference in New Delhi.
Glimpses from Sunday's Congress rally at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi against 'Vote Chori'.
Gandhi did not speak to the media persons after the meeting, as the leaders of the Mahagathbandhan, of which the Congress is a part, remained in a state of disbelief after the NDA swept the polls.
Maken is considered a close confidant of Rahul Gandhi and was without any post ever since he resigned as Congress general secretary in charge of Rajasthan a few months ago.
The 77-year-old former Congress president is set to enter the Upper House for the first time from Rajasthan.
The Congress party has launched a web portal where people can register to demand accountability from the Election Commission over alleged vote rigging, following Rahul Gandhi's claims of 'vote chori'.
Implementation of sports bill in 6 months, regulation of participation standard safeguard: Mandaviya
An unease has set in the Rajasthan Congress with its senior leader Ajay Maken quitting as the state in-charge ahead of the assembly polls scheduled next year, with party sources saying that he has been asked to continue on the post.
Congress in-charge for Rajasthan Ajay Maken on Monday slammed the MLAs loyal to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for setting conditions for a party resolution, terming it a "conflict of interest", and said their decision to hold a parallel meeting amounted to indiscipline.
Rajasthan minister and key Gehlot-loyalist Shanti Dhariwal on Monday launched a frontal attack on Congress's state in-charge Ajay Maken, alleging that he was talking to party MLAs in a partisan manner and canvassing for Sachin Pilot.
Congress leader Ajay Maken has written to party president Mallikarjun Kharge, expressing his unwillingness to continue as the in-charge of Rajasthan, sources said on Wednesday.
The Aam Aadmi Party launched a scathing attack on the Congress on Thursday, accusing it of colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party for the upcoming Delhi assembly polls to harm the prospects of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.
Congress does unto AAP what Kejriwal's party had done to it in Haryana.
The 54-year-old leader had taken over as the Congress's Delhi unit chief four years ago, after the party lost the 2015 assembly elections.
The Congress top brass headed by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge held a review meeting on Thursday on the party's shock defeat in the Haryana assembly polls and discussed the possible reasons for the 'unexpected' results.
While they shouted slogans praising Pilot, another group protested against Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma. The two groups were dispersed after the brief demonstrations. Police denied reports that they had to resort to a lathi-charge.
The Congress on Wednesday filed a police complaint over the recent statements of leaders belonging to the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) targeting Rahul Gandhi.
According to a senior Election Commission official in Chandigarh, Panwar got 36 votes, while Sharma got 23 first preference votes and six transferred from the BJP, taking his tally to 29.
Sources said the leaders during the meeting discussed the possible reasons for the "unexpected" results in Haryana and decided to set up the team to ascertain the reasons behind such results and also look into complaints of "discrepancies" in EVMs, as alleged by party candidates.
Gursharan Kaur and daughter Daman Singh pay their respects to Dr Singh's mortal remains at the AICC HQ in New Delhi.
Former Sports Minister Ajay Maken termed AIBA's decision to suspend Indian woman boxer L Sarita Devi for refusing to accept bronze medal at the Asian Games podium ceremony as "unfortunate" and asked the Centre to take up the matter at the highest international level.
Sports Minister Ajay Maken on Thursday, condoled the death of former India cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who passed away on Thursday evening, after battling a lung infection for the last few months.
Sports Minister Ajay Maken has accused former minister Mani Shankar Aiyar of playing an 'irreparable obstructionist role' in the Commonwealth Games projects resulting in cost escalation.
Senior party leader Ahmed Patel, general secretary in-charge for Rajasthan Ajay Maken and general secretary organisation KC Venugopal have been made members of the panel.
The Congress on Wednesday demanded a thorough probe into 'discrepancies' found in some Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the counting of votes of the Haryana assembly polls and demanded that such EVMs should be sealed and secured pending the inquiry.
The sources in the government said the notification announcing the name of the next CEC could be issued "in the next few hours".
Faced with mounting pressure to drop his Olympic trip to London, a defiant Suresh Kalmadi has hit back at Ajay Maken, accusing the Sports Minister of carrying out a vilification campaign against him and called for his resignation.
Babaria said he offered his resignation to the high command soon after the result of the Haryana assembly polls came out last week but no decision has been communicated to him over the matter.
Ajay Maken on Saturday night resigned as a Union minister -- ahead of the reshuffle of the Council of Ministers and that of the All India Congress Committee -- expected next week.
The breach of privilege notice against Maken was issued for going to the press on an issue raised in the House.
Meanwhile, Sheila Dikshit said that the Congress needed aggressive campaignin and nobody asked her for campaigning.
Sports Minister Ajay Maken has declined to comment on Suresh Kalmadi's accusation of carrying out a vilification campaign against him, saying that he would not like to respond to a person who has been chargesheeted by the CBI.
Unveiling the exposure draft on National Physical Fitness Programme (NPFP), which is at a discussion stage, Sports Minister Ajay Maken said in order to ensure fitness among all school children, a system needs to be put in place that would assess and ascertain a child's physical fitness from class V onwards.
Mahesh Bhupathi has complained to the Sports Ministry over selection of the men's double team for London Olympics raising apprehensions over the AITA's selection process wherein he is being forced to pair with estranged partner Leander Paes.
Ahead of the Haryana Assembly polls, the Congress on Wednesday announced seven guarantees, including the promises of a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) and a caste survey, if voted to power.
The BJP and Congress have called out the 'Delhi model' as a hoax, built on sustained propaganda when the ground reality is different.
