The deadlock over the next Kerala chief minister continued on Wednesday, with the Congress unable to take its pick from the three contenders for the post.

AICC observers Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday and called for a Congress Legislative Party meeting on Thursday to gauge the mind of the 63 legislators.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi are also expected to speak to the legislators over phone.

For the second consecutive day, the three contenders for the top post — AICC general secretary (organisation) and incumbent Alappuzha MP K.C. Venugopal, leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assembly V.D. Satheesan and CWC leader Ramesh Chennithala — were engaged in lobbying.

Loyalists belonging to the Satheesan camp shot off a letter to the Congress high command, urging it to bar Deepa Das Munshi, AICC general secretary in-charge of Kerala and a close confidant of Venugopal, from attending the one-on-one meetings of the observers with the legislators.

Chennithala rushed to New Delhi on Wednesday hoping to meet Sonia Gandhi. A party source told The Telegraph that she didn’t give Chennithala an appointment, prompting him to write a letter explaining to her why he was the best choice for the chief minister’s post.

“Chennithala returned to Thiruvananthapuram along with the two observers. Wasnik does not have a good rapport with Venugopal as he had set his eyes on the AICC general secretary’s (organisation) post more than eight years ago. But later Venugopal ensured that Wasnik was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. He is also the AICC general secretary in charge of Gujarat,” said a party source.

Speculation is rife that despite Venugopal having the support of 52 MLAs, there are chances of a few of them endorsing Satheesan at the one-on-one meetings with the AICC observers.

The observers are expected to return to Delhi on Thursday evening after talking to the 63 Congress MLAs, 14
MPs, former PCC chiefs and veteran CWC leader A.K. Antony. They will submit a report to Rahul and Kharge and the Congress high command will take the final decision
on Sunday.

The Congress top brass in Delhi has decided to organise the swearing-in ceremony of the new government early next week. The chief minister and the parliamentary party leaders of the allies in the Congress-led United Democratic Front government will be sworn in first. The Congress ministers will be sworn in later.