Thiruvananthapuram: With all votes cast and days remaining for the results, Congress leaders have begun their race for the Chief Minister’s post. The situation is being likened to “running inside a moving bus.”

The buzz is mainly centered around Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan, AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, and former Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala. While the leaders themselves are not directly campaigning, their followers are working tirelessly like bees in a hive.

The digital space has become the primary platform for shaping public opinion. An AI-generated video portraying Venugopal as a “people’s leader” was released recently. Not to be left behind, Chennithala’s supporters also released a documentary presenting him in the same light. A short film on Venugopal is also said to be nearing completion.

Supporters are projecting VD Satheesan on social media as the “prince of positions,” though he appears to be trailing in this cyber battle.

Ramesh Chennithala is launching a podcast based on the issues faced by Kerala, with a trial episode released. It discusses problems faced by ordinary people caught in loan app traps and also highlights “Operation Kubera,” which he implemented during his tenure as Home Minister to crack down on illegal lenders. Titled Kerala Yatra, the podcast will feature various topics in the coming days.

Chennithala has also recently published a novel. A compilation of speeches delivered by KC Venugopal in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and Legislative Assembly will be published soon. Meanwhile, a collection of speeches by VD Satheesan at Christian forums is also in the works.

Amid all this, screenshots of remarks against Venugopal circulating in a WhatsApp group said to support Satheesan have been spreading within party circles. Although leaders maintain that the high command will decide the Chief Minister after consulting MLAs, none seem willing to rein in their followers.

Interestingly, even during times when factionalism was at its peak in the Congress, there was rarely such open competition for the Chief Minister’s post. During the leadership eras of K Karunakaran–AK Antony and Oommen Chandy–Ramesh Chennithala, there was always clarity—though not publicly declared—about who would become Chief Minister if the alliance came to power.