Keralam: Anti-Venugopal posters target Rahul, Priyanka in Wayanad

In Kerala, ten days after the Congress-led United Democratic Front secured power in the state with a commanding electoral victory, the alliance’s failure to name a Chief Minister has triggered an escalating political crisis, with anonymous posters in Wayanad openly targeting Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over the possible elevation of senior Congress leader KC Venugopal.The posters appeared outside the district Congress committee office in Wayanad and Vadra’s MP office in Mukkam in Kozhikode. Vadra is the Congress MP from Wayanad while Gandhi served as the MP from the constituency between 2019 and 2024. One of the posters warned that “Kerala will never forgive you,” while another declared that “Wayanad will become another Amethi,” invoking Rahul Gandhi’s 2019 electoral defeat in Uttar Pradesh. The posters also mocked Venugopal as Rahul Gandhi’s “bag bearer” and warned the Congress leadership against ignoring sentiment within Kerala.The development marks a sharp escalation in the Congress leadership tussle that has paralysed decision-making even days after the alliance secured power.

Wayanad, Keralam: Posters targeting Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have appeared near the Wayanad District Congress Committee office amid ongoing suspense over Kerala's next Chief Minister following the UDF's election victory pic.twitter.com/z62QGaq9Rb

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Venugopal was backed by six of the nine party leaders who attended a Congress meeting on Tuesday on selecting the United Democratic Front (UDF) CM, while two leaders-- K Muralidharan and VM Sudheeran-- supported VD Satheesan, and one remained neutral. Ramesh Chemmithala is the other contender for the post. While Venugopal has the backing of the majority of the elected Congress MLAs, Satheesan has wide support among the party rank and file and key allies like the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Kerala Congress (Joseph).
The Congress-led UDF returned to power in Kerala with a decisive mandate last week, winning 102 of the 140 assembly seats. The incumbent CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) was reduced to 35 seats. In the days following the results of the assembly elections on May 4, Kerala witnessed large-scale protests by Congress workers and activists demanding that the top post in the state go to Satheesan, who served as leader of opposition over the last five years.