Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday (May 04) said he looks forward to visiting Kerala soon as the Congress-led United Democratic Front moved towards a clear majority in the Assembly elections. In a post on X, he thanked voters for what he described as a decisive mandate and congratulated party leaders and workers for a hard-fought campaign.&nbsp;“Thank you to my brothers and sisters in Keralam for a truly decisive mandate,” he said, adding, “Congratulations to every UDF leader and worker for a hard-fought, well-run campaign.” He further said, “As I said before, Keralam has the talent, Keralam has the potential, and now Keralam has a UDF government with a vision to harness both.”<h2>Congress leaders thank voters for a decisive mandate</h2>Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also expressed gratitude to voters, saying the alliance would work to fulfil its promises with honesty and humility. Thanking the people of Kerala for their support, she said the mandate would guide the alliance’s governance in the coming years.&nbsp;Referring to Wayanad, she said the electorate had reaffirmed its faith in the alliance with a clean sweep. “To my family in Wayanad, you have renewed your belief in the UDF with a resounding mandate of 7 out of 7 seats. We will do all we can to live up to your expectations,” she said, while also acknowledging the efforts of party workers.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/-mother-of-democracy-has-spoken-pm-modi-s-powerful-response-as-bjp-registers-historic-victory-in-bengal-assam-puducherry-1777903167389">'Mother of Democracy has spoken': PM Modi's powerful response as BJP registers historic victory in Bengal, Assam, Puducherry</a>&nbsp;Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge termed the result the beginning of a new phase for the state. He thanked voters for placing their trust in the party and said the alliance remained committed to people-centric governance. “True welfare and real economic empowerment begin in Keralam now,” he said, adding that the party would work to restore the state’s lost momentum.<h2>UDF takes a clear lead as LDF trails</h2>According to trends from the Election Commission of India, the Congress-led United Democratic Front has won 62 seats and is leading in one seat in the 140-member Assembly. The Communist Party of India Marxist led Left Democratic Front is significantly behind, winning 24 seats and leading in two.&nbsp;Senior Congress leader VD Satheesan attributed the outcome to strong anti-incumbency sentiment and the alliance’s credibility among voters. “There was anti-incumbency. We discussed a new era for future Kerala. We had credibility among the people,” he said, adding that the result reflected a clear shift in public support.&nbsp;As counting progresses, the results point to a return of the Congress-led alliance in Kerala, marking a significant political shift after a decade.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also expressed gratitude to voters, saying the alliance would work to fulfil its promises with honesty and humility.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday (May 04) said he looks forward to visiting Kerala soon as the Congress-led United Democratic Front moved towards a clear majority in the Assembly elections. In a post on X, he thanked voters for what he described as a decisive mandate and congratulated party leaders and workers for a hard-fought campaign. “Thank you to my brothers and sisters in Keralam for a truly decisive mandate,” he said, adding, “Congratulations to every UDF leader and worker for a hard-fought, well-run campaign.” He further said, “As I said before, Keralam has the talent, Keralam has the potential, and now Keralam has a UDF government with a vision to harness both.” Congress leaders thank voters for a decisive mandate Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also expressed gratitude to voters, saying the alliance would work to fulfil its promises with honesty and humility. Thanking the people of Kerala for their support, she said the mandate would guide the alliance’s governance in the coming years. Referring to Wayanad, she said the electorate had reaffirmed its faith in the alliance with a clean sweep. “To my family in Wayanad, you have renewed your belief in the UDF with a resounding mandate of 7 out of 7 seats. We will do all we can to live up to your expectations,” she said, while also acknowledging the efforts of party workers. Also Read: 'Mother of Democracy has spoken': PM Modi's powerful response as BJP registers historic victory in Bengal, Assam, Puducherry Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge termed the result the beginning of a new phase for the state. He thanked voters for placing their trust in the party and said the alliance remained committed to people-centric governance. “True welfare and real economic empowerment begin in Keralam now,” he said, adding that the party would work to restore the state’s lost momentum. UDF takes a clear lead as LDF trails According to trends from the Election Commission of India, the Congress-led United Democratic Front has won 62 seats and is leading in one seat in the 140-member Assembly. The Communist Party of India Marxist led Left Democratic Front is significantly behind, winning 24 seats and leading in two. Senior Congress leader VD Satheesan attributed the outcome to strong anti-incumbency sentiment and the alliance’s credibility among voters. “There was anti-incumbency. We discussed a new era for future Kerala. We had credibility among the people,” he said, adding that the result reflected a clear shift in public support. As counting progresses, the results point to a return of the Congress-led alliance in Kerala, marking a significant political shift after a decade.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also expressed gratitude to voters, saying the alliance would work to fulfil its promises with honesty and humility.

'Keralam has talent, potential': Rahul Gandhi, Senior leaders hail Congress-led UDF victory

Nothing is left of the Left, as it has lost its last bastion of Keralam and is no longer in power in any state or Union Territory in the country. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) is on the way out as the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is storming back to power.&nbsp;With the UDF making a comeback after a decade, the focus has shifted to its chief ministerial face.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Congress did not declare a CM candidate before the elections and projected a collective leadership against CM Pinarayi Vijayan, but certain camps in the party have voiced support for their leaders.&nbsp;&nbsp;Veteran Congress leader PJ Kurien said on Saturday that there were several persons in the party qualified to become chief minister if the UDF wins, but that only three names were being considered for the position. He did not share the three names.Kurien said that unlike the Left Front, the Congress has no dearth of qualified leaders.&nbsp;&nbsp;In line with the party tradition, the newly elected Congress MLAs are likely to pass a resolution empowering the party high command to choose the next CM.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam: On UDF&#39;s CM face, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, &quot;That I don&#39;t know, only Delhi will tell you, but I can say that everyone understands that we should not delay, we should honor the confidence of the people by going ahead as quickly as possible&quot; <a href="https://t.co/YmjZe7GD0B">pic.twitter.com/YmjZe7GD0B</a>&mdash; IANS (@ians_india) <a href="https://twitter.com/ians_india/status/2051230800889459038?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The main contenders for CM’s post are: <h2>VD Satheesan</h2>The Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assembly is considered the front-runner. He is said to have effectively led the charge against the LDF government in the Keralam Assembly for the past five years. Satheesan expressed his gratitude to the people in the state and said that he has delivered on his promise to bring UDF back in power. He also thanked top leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, who campaigned vigorously across the state. IUML Keralam chief Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal has openly spoken in favour of Satheesan as CM. However, the Congress may not want to give the impression that the IUML is calling the shots in the alliance. <h2>Ramesh Chennithala</h2>Veteran leader Ramesh Chennithala, who was the Leader of Opposition during Pinarayi Vijayan’s previous term is also in the fray and has a good connect in the party organisation even outside the state. Among all the Nair leaders in Congress, Chennithala has the strongest community connect due to his close ties to the Nair Service Society. However, the 2021 poll loss under his leadership, may go against him. <h2>KC Venugopal</h2>Congress National General Secretary (Organisation), KC Venugopal is currently the second-most powerful non-Gandhi Congress leader after party chief Mallikarjun Kharge. The name of Venugopal, who represents Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency, is also doing the rounds for CM face in Keralam.He enjoys the trust of both Rahul Gandhi and Kharge, and may get a favourable consideration even if he did not contest the Assembly elections. However, his crowning as CM would leave a big vacuum at the Congress' central leadership. <h2>Shashi Tharoor</h2>The name of Shashi Tharoor, a four-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram, has been doing the rounds as a CM contender, though he has always been viewed as someone meant for central politics, not state politics, even though his relations with the party’s central leadership have been rocky.

The Congress party did not declare a chief ministerial candidate before the Keralam Assembly elections and projected a collective leadership against CM Pinarayi Vijayan, but certain camps in the party have voiced support for their leaders. 

Nothing is left of the Left, as it has lost its last bastion of Keralam and is no longer in power in any state or Union Territory in the country. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) is on the way out as the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is storming back to power. With the UDF making a comeback after a decade, the focus has shifted to its chief ministerial face. The Congress did not declare a CM candidate before the elections and projected a collective leadership against CM Pinarayi Vijayan, but certain camps in the party have voiced support for their leaders. Veteran Congress leader PJ Kurien said on Saturday that there were several persons in the party qualified to become chief minister if the UDF wins, but that only three names were being considered for the position. He did not share the three names. Kurien said that unlike the Left Front, the Congress has no dearth of qualified leaders. In line with the party tradition, the newly elected Congress MLAs are likely to pass a resolution empowering the party high command to choose the next CM.

The Congress party did not declare a chief ministerial candidate before the Keralam Assembly elections and projected a collective leadership against CM Pinarayi Vijayan, but certain camps in the party have voiced support for their leaders.&nbsp;

Cong’s Keralam CM contenders: Who among VD Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala, KC Venugopal, or Shashi Tharoor will get the crown?

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'Keralam has talent, potential': Rahul Gandhi, Senior leaders hail Congress-led UDF victory

Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala, KC Venugopal, or Tharoor, who will be Keralam CM?