How K.C. Venugopal Became Congress's Kingmaker for Kerala Elections

As the party's powerful General Secretary, Organisation, Venugopal has emerged as the key decision maker whose approval is widely considered crucial before any final list of candidates is cleared.

Across the state, aspirants lobbying for party tickets are increasingly aware that the final word often rests with him.

Even when aspirants approach senior Congress veterans for support, the question frequently posed to them is: "Have you spoken to KC?", a telling sign of the influence Venugopal wields in the party's organisational structure.

His role has grown particularly significant in Kerala following the gradual retirement of veteran leader A. K. Antony from active politics.

With Antony stepping back, Venugopal has become the crucial link between the party's central leadership in New Delhi and the state unit.

Yet, Venugopal's journey to the top of the Congress organisational hierarchy began far from the power corridors of Delhi.

Hailing from the Left bastion of Kannur, he started his political career in student politics, where he soon came into close contact with the towering Congress leader K. Karunakaran, who also had roots in the district.

Karunakaran took a special liking to the young activist and affectionately referred to him as "my boy".

According to Padmaja Venugopal, Karunakaran's daughter, her mother, Kalyanikutty Amma, too had a soft corner for Venugopal.

During Karunakaran's tenure as Chief Minister, Venugopal enjoyed easy access to Cliff House, the official residence of the Chief Minister, where Kalyanikutty Amma often hosted him warmly.

His electoral career took off in 1996 when Karunakaran fielded him from Alappuzha in the Assembly polls.

The victory marked the beginning of a steady rise that eventually took him to the Congress high command in Delhi, a position of influence that, in many ways, surpasses even what his mentor once achieved.

Now 63, Venugopal continues to remain closely connected with his contemporaries from the student and youth movements, often extending support to the families of colleagues who began their political journey alongside him but are no longer alive.

In the 140-member Kerala Legislative Assembly, the Congress fields around 95 candidates, and with the party, according to several pre-poll surveys, is on its way to form a government, Venugopal will hold the key to who will contest and who will not.

- IANS