Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi hold talks, Congress to name Kerala CM today

New Delhi: After a meeting between Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi on Wednesday evening, the AICC said the name of the party's Kerala chief minister will be announced on Thursday. The Kharge-Gandhi meeting came amid an unprecedented poster campaign in Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's Wayanad constituency warning the Rahul-Priyanka duo of an "Amethi-like" fate if they choose KC Venugopal for the top post, even as influential Congress ally Indian Union Muslim League continued backing rival contender VD Satheesan for the CM's post.

Political circles saw the Kerala chief ministerial tussle increasingly turning into a mind game between the Congress high command and the IUML and its affiliates amid speculation over which side would blink first. Many in the Congress were upset over the poster campaign targeting the Gandhi siblings but remained cautious amid the AICC's silence on the issue. While Venugopal appeared to enjoy majority support among Congress stakeholders, the pro-Satheesan camp argued that "public sentiment" favoured him. The camp of third contender Ramesh Chennithala remained in wait-and-watch mode.