A fresh political controversy has erupted in Kerala after provocative posters targeting Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra surfaced outside Congress offices amid the growing leadership battle over the state’s next chief minister.
The posters appeared outside the district Congress committee office in Wayanad and the MP office of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Kozhikode’s Mukkam area on Wednesday morning. The messages warned the Gandhi siblings against supporting senior Congress leader K. C. Venugopal for the chief minister’s post after the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) secured a massive victory in the Kerala Assembly elections.
One of the posters reportedly read, “Mr Rahul, KC might be your bag bearer, but people of Kerala will never forgive you.” Another warned, “Wayanad will be next Amethi,” referencing Rahul Gandhi’s 2019 defeat in Amethi before he shifted political focus to Wayanad.
The posters immediately triggered political reactions across the state as the Congress high command continued discussions over who would become Kerala’s next chief minister.
According to party sources, KC Venugopal currently enjoys the support of a majority of Congress MLAs. However, V. D. Satheesan remains a popular choice among grassroots workers and allies, including the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Kerala Congress (Joseph).
Another senior Congress leader, Ramesh Chennithala, is also being seen as a contender in the leadership race.
CCTV footage reportedly captured an unidentified individual putting up the posters around 3 am. Local Congress workers have launched efforts to identify the person responsible, while speculation continues over whether rival political groups may have played a role in escalating tensions.
In another development, a flex board opposing Venugopal in Thrissur district was reportedly traced to a CPI(M) activist who allegedly admitted involvement in an internal WhatsApp group discussion.
The Congress-led UDF returned to power in Kerala with a commanding mandate, winning 102 out of 140 seats in the Assembly elections. The Left Democratic Front (LDF), led by CPI(M), was reduced to 35 seats, marking one of the alliance’s biggest electoral setbacks in recent years.
Following the election results, protests by Congress supporters demanding Satheesan as chief minister were witnessed in several parts of Kerala. The public demonstrations reportedly displeased the Congress leadership, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, who urged state leaders to maintain discipline during the leadership selection process.
The final decision on Kerala’s next chief minister is expected soon, but the poster controversy has already intensified the political drama within the Congress camp.
