V D Satheesan Announced as Kerala’s Next Chief Minister

Congress leader V D Satheesan has been announced as Kerala’s next Chief Minister after days of political discussions within the party.

Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress leader V D Satheesan has been announced as the next Chief Minister of Kerala, bringing an end to nine days of intense political discussions within the party. The announcement was made during a press conference by the Congress leadership after final consultations with senior leaders.

A day earlier, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge held discussions with Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi regarding the leadership decision. Former Union minister Jairam Ramesh later stated that the Congress high command had completed all discussions after being authorised by members of the Congress Legislative Party in Kerala.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) secured a decisive mandate in the 140-member Kerala Assembly election, winning 102 seats and comfortably crossing the majority mark. Apart from Satheesan, senior leaders Ramesh Chennithala and K C Venugopal were also considered for the top post. However, after the final round of deliberations, the leadership reached a consensus in favour of Satheesan.

Satheesan has remained one of the most prominent opposition voices in Kerala over the past five years. As Leader of the Opposition, he consistently targeted the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government inside the Assembly and played a major role in the UDF’s electoral victory. His strong public image and organisational influence reportedly made him the frontrunner for the Chief Minister’s post.

On Thursday, Congress workers organised a march in support of Satheesan from the Palaayam Martyrs’ Memorial in Thiruvananthapuram, with supporters raising slogans in his favour. Political observers noted that he also enjoyed the backing of key UDF allies, particularly the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which emerged as the alliance’s second-largest constituent with 22 seats.

Supporters of Satheesan argued that the party leadership needed to consider public sentiment as well as the views of alliance partners while selecting the Chief Minister. They also pointed out that Venugopal is currently a Member of Parliament and that the Congress leadership had earlier decided not to field sitting MPs in the Assembly elections.

The delay in announcing the Chief Minister’s name had triggered criticism from opposition parties and signs of dissatisfaction within the Congress itself. In Wayanad, posters targeting Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra appeared outside the district Congress office. The posters alleged that both leaders were attempting to promote Venugopal for the Chief Minister’s post despite resistance within the state unit.