Veteran Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala retained the Haripad Assembly constituency in Kerala, winning by a margin of 23,377 votes. The 69-year-old polled 68,184 votes, defeating TT Jimson of the Communist Party of India (CPI), who secured 44,807 votes, as per results announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday, May 4.
Chennithala is the sitting MLA from Haripad and has represented the constituency across multiple terms. His latest victory comes as the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) seems poised to secure a clear majority in the state, bringing an end to the incumbent Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s decade-long tenure.
With the UDF seemingly set to form the next government, Chennithala is among the key contenders for the Chief Minister’s post. He has previously served as Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly and has held senior organisational roles within the Congress at both the state and national levels.
In recent years, he has also publicly expressed dissatisfaction over his exclusion from key party decision-making bodies, even as he has continued to maintain a strong political base.
The UDF did not announce a chief ministerial candidate ahead of the elections. The decision on the Chief Minister is expected to be taken by the newly elected MLAs in consultation with the party’s central leadership after the formal declaration of results.
Other leaders being discussed for the Chief Minister’s post include VD Satheesan, the current Leader of Opposition, KC Venugopal, a senior Congress leader with organisational responsibilities at the national level, and K Muraleedharan, a former MP and state leader.
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