Summary of this article
The Indian National Congress named V. D. Satheesan as Kerala’s next chief minister after a 10-day internal deadlock.
Satheesan, a six-time MLA and former opposition leader, is widely credited with helping engineer the UDF’s election victory.
Senior Congress leaders, including K. C. Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala, welcomed the decision.
After an impasse that lasted for 10 days Kerala finally got its Chief Minister on Thursday as VD Satheesan, former leader of opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly was announced as the man for the top job in the state.
The Congress announced his name after a meeting at Indra Bhavan, the headquarters of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) in Thiruvananthapuram.
The announcement came after multiple days and deliberations by the party high command which included talking with past KPCC presidents and working presidents.
Satheesan edged out rivals KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala who were also contenders for the post.
Who is VD Satheesan?
VD Satheesan is a six-time congress MLA from Paravur assembly seat. He also served as the leader of opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 2021-2026, succeeding Ramesh Chennithala in the position.
Satheesan has been widely regarded as the architect of the landslide United Democratic Front (UDF) victory in the Kerala Legislative assembly elections. The UDF won 102 seats while the Congress on its own won 63 seats.
Satheesan will succeed Pinarayi Vijayan, who was leading the state for the past decade, as Chief Minister.
He will now be expected to lead a strong and united government in the state after a period of uncertainty and division in the state Congress unit.
Reactions From Leaders
Congress General Secretary and Satheesan’s chief rival for the CM post KC Venugopal said, "The final decision has come, and the Congress high command decided VD Satheesan as the Chief Ministerial candidate for the Kerala Government. I am welcoming that decision wholeheartedly. I am congratulating VD Satheesan on this position."
While Sunny Joseph, the current KPCC President called it a ‘‘good decision’’.
"Only after talking to everyone and holding extensive discussions, the decision was taken," said All India Congress Committee (AICC) Kerala observer Ajay Maken.
