India, May 16 -- The consultations for choosing a chief minister for Kerala seems to have ended Congress's tryst with a contentious concept - secret power sharings arrangement between two chief ministerial aspirants as exhibited in Chattisgarh 2018 and Karnataka 2023. HT learns that at some point in the 10 days of negotiations, a power sharing arrangement was floated but dismissed by party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.

According to two persons aware of the details, when someone suggested KC Venugopal take the CM's chair for 2.5 years and then vacate it for VD Satheesan, the final arbiters- -Kharge and Gandhi- -said this formula had failed to hold. On Thursday, the party announced their choice as VD Satheesan, the 61-year...