Making the decision to choose Kerala’s next Chief Minister more complex for the Congress high command, hundreds of party workers took to the streets across the state on Friday in support of Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan.

A section of workers, unhappy with Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal also being in the contention despite not being actively involved in state politics, declared they would accept no one other than Satheesan as CM and warned the party leadership against “parachuting” any other leader into the post. Those against Venugopal, who is said to enjoy the support of an “overwhelming” majority of the Congress’s 63 MLAs, his rivals in the party point out that Venugopal is not an MLA and the party’s central leadership had, in the run-up to the polls, decided not to field MPs in the elections.

Across Kerala, right from the state capital to other parts of the state, Congress workers thronged the streets with the slogan with placards of Satheesan and the slogan, “Let the leader who led the battle govern the state.”

The Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the now dissolved Assembly, Satheesan led the United Democratic Front (UDF) as it took on the CPI(M) and former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the last five years. Besides, Satheesan also questioned the communal remarks of prominent Hindu leader Vellappally Natesan, who heads the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, when other senior Congress leaders remained silent. This helped the Congress win the “secular votes”, party insiders estimate. Before the elections, Satheesan declared that he would retire from politics if the UDF failed to win 100 seats. The Congress-led alliance ended up winning 102 in the 140-member House.

Workers and local leaders on Friday took to the streets hours after Satheesan urged them to desist from processions and the practice of erecting flex boards for leaders. “These are moments of happiness and pride for us. In such a situation, neither the leaders nor the workers should do anything that would create difficulties for the party or the alliance,’’ the Congress leader said in a post on his Facebook page.

In Malappuram, Congress workers were seen marching and saying out loud, “We will accept only VD as the Chief Minister. We voted for VD. Secular Kerala is with VD.” In Irikkur, Kannur, which is a Congress pocket borough, party workers came out against the bid to bring Venugopal as the CM, as there had been reports that sitting Congress MLA Sajeev Joseph would resign and pave the way for Venugopal to contest from the seat after he becomes the CM. Joseph had not denied the reports.

Congress workers staged the demonstrations in Satheesan’s support, defying the state leadership that warned they would face action for doing so. After state Congress president Sunny Joseph said party district committees were entitled to take action against workers and leaders who take out open marches, the District Congress Committee in Idukki suspended three leaders who took part in a pro-Satheesan march. However, Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose came out against the suspensions, saying, “The sentiments of workers should be respected, where they will air their views. They had toiled for the party’s success. The disciplinary action is not the remedy.”

Former Congress state president and newly elected MLA K Muraleedharan said, “I feel that those who toil should be given the wages. Flex boards will not elect the leaders. There is a process. The present issue is about a generational shift. That will be solved,” he said.

On Thursday, Congress workers also held a march in Satheesan’s support in Iritty in the Peravoor constituency represented by Sunny Joseph.

In Kerala, Congress workers rarely hit the streets for a leader. In this instance, it is more notable because Satheesan does not have the support of any one group. The workers are on the streets for Satheesan at a time when he does not enjoy the support of MLAs in the race for the CM, where numbers matter in the game.

This situation is a throwback to what CPI(M) in Kerala had witnessed on the eve of the Assembly elections of 2006. Then, the CPI(M) state leadership under Pinarayi Vijayan had denied a ticket to V S Achuthanandan to contest the polls. The decision came after Achuthanandan spent five years as Opposition leader, taking on the Congress government.

CPI(M) workers hit the streets against the party leadership. Sensing the mood was against it, the CPI(M) central leadership intervened to ensure the candidature of Achuthanandan, who led the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to a big win as it won 99 seats.