A political controversy has erupted in Kerala’s Wayanad following the state assembly election results, after controversial posters warning Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra appeared in several parts of the constituency.
The posters, found on the walls of Congress party offices and other prominent locations, allegedly caution the leadership against appointing senior Congress leader K.C. Venugopal as Chief Minister. The messages reportedly warned of “serious consequences” if such a decision was taken. One of the posters stated that Rahul Gandhi may consider Venugopal as a close aide, but the people of Kerala would not forgive such a move. Another warned that Wayanad could face a political fate similar to Amethi in Uttar Pradesh if Venugopal were made Chief Minister.
Local police have registered a case following a complaint lodged by Congress MLA T. Siddique from Wayanad. Authorities have begun an investigation after reviewing CCTV footage from the area, which reportedly shows an unidentified individual pasting the posters late at night. Police are probing the identity of the person involved and whether any political groups are behind the act.
The incident comes in the backdrop of political uncertainty over the Chief Minister selection following the Kerala Assembly elections, in which the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) secured a decisive victory by winning 102 of the 140 seats, returning to power after a decade. However, internal deliberations over the Chief Minister post continued for more than ten days after the results were announced on May 4.
Three leaders—V.D. Satheesan, K.C. Venugopal, and Ramesh Chennithala—were reportedly in contention for the top post. Amid reported resistance from sections of the state leadership to Venugopal’s candidature, the poster controversy added to the political tension. Eventually, on May 14, the Congress high command ended the suspense by officially announcing V.D. Satheesan, who served as Leader of the Opposition for the past five years, as the next Chief Minister of Kerala.