Senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy will be sworn in as Kerala chief minister on May 18,bringing an end to the tight race for the key post in the faction-ridden party in the state. 67-year-old Chandy was on Sunday unanimously elected by the Congress Legislature Party as its leader,paving the way for his second stint as Chief Minister heading the UDF,which wrested power from LDF by a wafer-thin majority in the April 13 Assembly polls. Ending uncertainties,Chandy,who enjoyed the support of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi,emerged as the sole contender for the top post after KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala opted out of the race. After a meeting of the 38-member CLP,presided by AICC observers Moshina Kidwai and Madhusudan Mistry,Chennithala announced that Chandy will lead the ministry.
