Congress leadership starts a formal consultation process in Kerala to decide the party’s next chief ministerial candidate following recent election outcomes. According to the reports, AICC observers Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken meet Congress MLAs and leaders as part of the selection process. The consultations are being held to assess who can best lead the legislature party and to gather inputs from senior members. Both outlets indicate that the party’s high command will make the final decision after receiving recommendations from the observer-led discussions. Times of India reports that a decision on the CM face is likely by Sunday, following meetings with newly elected MLAs and senior leaders and under a resolution authorizing the party to choose the CM candidate through this consultative process. News18 India similarly describes the selection process as beginning with observers meeting MLAs. Reported frontrunners across the two accounts include V D Satheesan, K C Venugopal, and Ramesh Chennithala, with other internal discussions expected as the party moves toward its final announcement.