New Delhi

The meeting to elect the next Keralam Chief Minister, with Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and former Keralam Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs, began on Tuesday.

Keralam Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, and senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala are seen among the top contenders for the Chief Minister post.

Former KPCC presidents Mullappally Ramachandran, MM Hassan, K Sudhakaran, VM Sudheeran, K Muraleedharan, A P Anilkumar, PC Vishnunath and Shafi Parambil have arrived in New Delhi to meet Congress top leadership to finalise the next CM of the state.

Earlier, speaking with the reporters, MM Hassan avoided making any direct comments regarding the next Keralam Chief Minister and said that the high command will take the decision after considering all aspects.

"The Congress high command asked us to come here for the discussion...I hope that the discussions will be held regarding the chief ministership... We are all requesting that the decision be announced... The high command will make a decision while considering all the aspects," he said.

Former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President K Sudhakaran, who is among those who arrived in the national capital New Delhi for high-level discussions with the party leadership, remained tight-lipped regarding the ongoing deliberations.

Addressing reporters before his departure from Keralam, the senior leader remained tight-lipped regarding the ongoing Chief Ministerial deliberations. When pressed for details on the potential outcome of the high-stakes meetings, Sudhakaran briefly remarked that he would return "happy and smiling," while declining to offer further comment on the leadership race for the CM position.

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The United Democratic Front (UDF) led by Congress secured 102 seats out of 140 seat Keralam assembly in the recently concluded elections. Despite achieving such a decisive majority, the UDF has yet to name its candidate for Chief Minister in the state, which has drawn criticism from opposition parties.

Meanwhile, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) passed a one-line resolution authorising the party high command to take the final decision on the CM candidate after consulting newly elected MLAs and alliance partners.