Thiruvananthapuram, April 24 : Even before the counting begins, Keralaâ??s familiar electoral suspense has given way to a more predictable drama, one within the Indian National Congress.

Polling concluded on April 9, with results due only on May 4. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), buoyed by expectations of returning to power after a decade, finds itself grappling with a resurfacing ailment: leadership jockeying.

The unusual break in Keralaâ??s long-standing pattern of alternating governments, when the CPI(M)-led Left Front retained power in 2021, had already raised the stakes.

Now, the prospect of a comeback appears to have intensified internal fault lines.

Supporters of senior leaders Ramesh Chennithala, V.D. Satheesan, and K.C. Venugopal have begun projecting their respective choices for the Chief Ministerâ??s post in the public domain.

The premature contest has not only embarrassed the party but also drawn sharp criticism from within and outside.

Veteran media critic M.N. Karassery was unsparing, calling the public posturing â??shamelessâ?? and warning that such open displays of ambition risk eroding voter patience.

The unease is now spilling into alliance ranks. P. Abdul Hameed, Malappuram district general secretary of the Indian Union Muslim League and an MLA, has come down heavily on the Congress party, cautioning that such discussions should never have been allowed to surface.

He said the ongoing debate over the Chief Ministerâ??s post is disappointing to those who voted for the UDF and risks demoralising grassroots workers who have endured a difficult decade in the opposition.

Abdul Hameed pointedly observed that those who ought to have curbed the chatter are themselves making public statements, aggravating the situation.

â??Leaders at the national level are engaging in such discussions, and when they arise, it is the responsibility of senior leaders to contain them, not amplify them,â?? he said, adding that the League would abide by whatever decision the high command takes, with Rahul Gandhi fully aware of Keralaâ??s political realities.

The contrast with the CPI(M) is stark.

The Left has maintained a studied silence on leadership questions, projecting cohesion.

In Congress, however, factional currents long a defining feature of its Kerala unit have resurfaced with renewed vigour, unsettling cadres and allies alike.

With days to go before counting, the UDF faces a paradox: the closer it appears to power, the more its internal discord threatens to cloud the moment.

Sharing the spoils of power has always been done, and no one will forget when the spat between K. Karunakaran and A.K. Antony reached a high soon after a stupendous win by the Congress party in 2001, when Antony became the Chief Minister, Karunakaranâ??s son K. Muraleedharan was made the state party president, by ejecting the then president Thennala Balakrishna Pillai.

/IANS