Congress' Jebi Mather calls CLP meeting in Keralam "democratic"

Speaking after the CLP meeting in Thiruvananthapuram, Mather said party MLAs and senior leaders were being consulted individually before the high command takes a final decision.

Speaking to ANI, Mather said, "This is an example of how democratic the Congress party is. No decision is being imposed on anyone. The CLP meeting took place, and then meetings with MLAs individually. Let MLAs and senior leaders give feedback, and the party high command take a decision which will be accepted by all."

Referring to the party's recent electoral performance, the Congress MP added, "We were waiting for this beautiful victory, and the decision will also be beautiful."

Mather also targeted the ruling Left Democratic Front in Kerala, alleging that the alliance lacked leadership beyond Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

"LDF is running short of leaders. After Pinarayi Vijayan, they don't know who should be the Opposition leader. But we have a galaxy of leaders. While in the Left front, there is a dictatorship," she said.

The CLP meeting assumes significance as the Congress leadership begins consultations to decide the Chief Ministerial face in Keralam after the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) secured a decisive mandate in the Assembly elections.

Earlier in the day, senior Keralam Congress leaders, including VD Satheesan, K Suresh and Deepa Dasmunshi, arrived at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram to meet the two observers.

Congress MP K Suresh said the process of appointing observers after elections was a standard practice followed by the Congress high command.

"This is a part of the process by the Congress high command. Every election, whether Congress gets a majority or not, the high command sends observers for selecting and electing the CLP leader," Suresh told reporters.

He added that Mukul Wasnik's earlier experience as Keralam in-charge and Ajay Maken's senior organisational role made them suitable for assessing the political situation in the state.

"After their evaluation with the various newly elected MLAs, they will send a report to the high command. Based on their report, and after the high command talks to senior leaders, they will take an appropriate decision," Suresh said.

The Congress-led UDF won 102 seats in the 140-member Keralam Assembly, ending a decade-long rule of the Left Democratic Front (LDF). Congress emerged as the single-largest party in the alliance with 63 seats, while its ally, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), secured 22 seats. (ANI)