New Delhi:
The Congress’s Kerala impasse has been resolved, but it took nine days since the results of the assembly election in the coastal state were declared. It also took the return of the party’s master strategist – one who stitched up the UPA coalition in 2004 by walking to the door of her next-door neighbour, Ram Vilas Paswan. Sources told NDTV that this time, Sonia Gandhi had dialled her oldest and most trusted confidante from Kerala, AK Antony.
Sources said Sonia Gandhi was called in to shed light on the puzzle that had the Congress in a bind – with none of the three Chief Ministerial candidates ready to back down. For days, there have been continuous back and forth with Kerala – observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik were sent in to talk to the MLAs. Then the MLAs and other leaders were summoned to Delhi to give their feedback to Rahul Gandhi.
Gandhi heard them out, met Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and deferred the final decision.
Amid all this, it was decided that Sonia Gandhi – who is currently the chairperson of the INDIA alliance – would also be involved in this selection process.
Gandhi dialled AK Antony and it was this one conversation that determined who would be Kerala’s next Chief Minister.
Who Is AK Antony
Antony was the three-time Chief Minister of Kerala who took office last in 2001. But after the rout of the Congress-led United Democratic Front’s (UDF) in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, he had stepped down, talking moral responsibility for the defeat.
Subsequently, Oommen Chandy was appointed Chief Minister, while Antony moved to the Centre to serve as a Union Minister.
Antony has long been known for his integrity and for his proximity to “10 Janpath”-the official residence of Sonia Gandhi. He is also the leader about whom it was said that he always carried “his resignation letter in his pocket”.
When he bade goodbye to Delhi politics to return to Kerala, Antony left with nothing more than a single suitcase containing his belongings.
To this day, the simplicity of leaders like him, Indrajit Gupta, George Fernandes, and Manohar Parrikar are cited as exemplary standard within Delhi’s political circles.
What AK Antony Advised
Sources said AK Antony advised Sonia Gandhi that the Congress party in Kerala should not contest two by-elections at this juncture. He reasoned that if KC Venugopal were to be appointed Chief Minister, an incumbent MLA would have to vacate his seat. Also, since Venugopal is currently a Member of Parliament, a by-election would be triggered for his parliamentary constituency as well.
The Congress should avoid such a scenario, Antony told Sonia Gandhi, given that general elections have only recently concluded, and the outcome of two subsequent by-elections could be unpredictable.
Antony also told Sonia Gandhi that the electorate had effectively voted for VD Satheesan, and that the Congress party’s allies also favored him. So the party should not impose a candidate from Delhi as the Chief Minister, he argued.
This telephone conversation altered the entire picture regarding the selection of the Chief Minister in Kerala, sources said, and Sonia Gandhi made up her mind about who should be the Chief Minister of Kerala.
Subsequently, it was decided that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi would speak with KC Venugopal and request him to remain in Delhi and name VD Satheesan was appointed as the next Chief Minister of Kerala.
It was also decided that the Congress observers and the state in-charge would travel to Kerala, where Satheesan will be formally elected as the Leader of the Legislative Party.