Kochi, May 6 (IANS) The leadership tussle within the Congress in Kerala has taken a sharper turn, with the camp led by V. D. Satheesan urging the party high command to keep General Secretary in charge of the state, Deepa Dasmunshi, away from the crucial interaction between MLAs and central observers on Wednesday.

Central observers Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken will reach the state capital later in the day to interact with the 63 Congress legislators.

The Satheesan camp argues that her presence could influence legislators during the consultation process, a claim that underscores the deepening factional undercurrents ahead of the leadership decision.

The move comes even as Satheesan intensifies efforts to expand his support base within the legislature party.

With the Congress having secured a record 63 MLAs, the contest for leadership has narrowed to three key figures — K. C. Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala, and Satheesan.

By most internal assessments, Satheesan currently has the backing of fewer MLAs, prompting a late push to improve his numbers before the observers begin consultations.

The strategy is twofold.

First, the camp is attempting to persuade MLAs aligned with Venugopal and Chennithala to switch allegiance.

Second, even where a direct shift may not be possible, efforts are being made to ensure that Satheesan’s name figures as a second preference when MLAs convey their views to observers.

This, leaders believe, could strengthen his claim in a tightly contested race.

Subtle signals of support have begun to emerge.

Neyyattinkara MLA N. Sakthan publicly backed Satheesan, sharing a photograph and hailing him as a “prince of positions”.

In a more guarded development, T. J. Vinod, known to be close to Chennithala, and Deepak Joy, a confidant of senior leader K. Babu, visited Satheesan at his residence in Aluva.

While indications suggest that support was sought, both maintained that the meeting was purely a courtesy call.

As the observers’ visit approaches, the contest remains fluid, with lobbying intensifying across camps and the final decision likely to hinge on last-minute shifts in allegiance.

–IANS

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