Wayanad, May 13 (IANS) Ten days after the Congress-led UDF stormed to power in Kerala with one of its most emphatic victories in recent political history, the alliance still finds itself trapped in an embarrassing deadlock over the choice of Chief Minister, exposing deep cracks within the party and triggering public anger that has now spilled onto the streets of Wayanad.

In a sharp and unprecedented escalation, anonymous posters targeting Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra appeared near the Wayanad DCC office, reflecting what many within the party privately admit is a growing public resistance to the possible elevation of K.C. Venugopal as Kerala’s next Chief Minister.

The posters, written in English and clearly aimed at the Congress high command, accuse Rahul and Priyanka of attempting to impose K.C. Venugopal on Kerala despite widespread public sentiment running against him.

One of the posters warns that ‘Kerala will never forgive you’, while another ominously declares that ‘Wayanad will become another Amethi’, directly invoking the humiliating electoral defeat Rahul Gandhi suffered in Uttar Pradesh in 2019.

The political symbolism could not have been sharper.

Wayanad was once Rahul Gandhi’s political sanctuary and is now represented in Parliament by Priyanka Gandhi.

The anger surfacing from the constituency itself has become a direct challenge to the Gandhi siblings’ authority over Congress affairs in Kerala.

The posters go further, mocking Venugopal as merely Rahul Gandhi’s ‘bag bearer’ and warning that both Rahul and Priyanka would no longer be welcome in Wayanad if the leadership ignores public opinion.

Though no organisation has claimed responsibility, the emergence of the posters is widely seen as evidence that the Congress faction war has moved beyond closed-door lobbying into open political rebellion.

The posters state, “K.C. may be your man at times, but the people of Kerala will not forgive you…This is not a threat, but we have had enough. Do not come to Wayanad just to win elections. Forget Wayanad, you will not win from here again.”

Ironically, while public sentiment across large sections of Kerala appears hostile to Venugopal’s candidature, he reportedly continues to enjoy overwhelming backing from a majority of newly elected Congress MLAs.

That contradiction has pushed the high command into an uncomfortable corner.

Even after marathon consultations in Delhi, no final announcement has emerged.

Supporters of V.D. Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala continue to insist that Kerala’s political realities cannot be measured merely through legislative arithmetic.

As the suspense drags into the tenth day after victory, what should have been a triumphant transition of power has instead turned into a bruising spectacle of indecision, bruised egos and deepening distrust within the Congress party.

–IANS

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