After weeks of internal consultations and speculation over a leadership rift, Congress has named VD Satheesan as the Chief Minister of Kerala, ending ten days of suspense that had followed the United Democratic Front’s decisive assembly election victory.
Satheesan emerged ahead of two other frontrunners Congress MP KC Venugopal and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala. Congress observers Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken consulted MLAs and MPs before conveying their findings to Rahul Gandhi. The Leader of Opposition then spoke directly with Satheesan and subsequently met senior Congress leaders from Kerala, including former state unit chiefs, before the decision was finalised. The Congress Legislature Party had earlier passed a resolution authorising the high command to make the final call on the leadership question.
Who Is VD Satheesan?
The elevation carries a certain weight for Satheesan. The 61-year-old had publicly declared that he would step away from active politics if the UDF failed to secure a convincing mandate in the Kerala elections. The alliance’s landslide has put him in the Chief Minister’s chair instead.
Born in Nettur in Ernakulam district, Satheesan entered politics through student activism at Sacred Heart College, Thevara. He went on to hold leadership positions in the Mahatma Gandhi University Union and the National Students Union of India. He lost his first Assembly election in 1996, but has held the Paravur seat continuously since 2001, steadily consolidating his position in the constituency over successive elections.
During the Assembly campaign, Satheesan placed secularism at the centre of his messaging and projected the UDF as an alternative to both majority and minority communal politics. His “Team UDF” slogan energised party workers and alliance partners throughout the campaign. Party leaders credit him with reviving the UDF’s political momentum through key by-election victories and the alliance’s strong showing in Kerala during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Satheesan had been sidelined during the Oommen Chandy government.
What Happened in the Kerala Assembly Elections
The UDF’s victory ended a decade of Left Democratic Front rule in the state. In the 140-member Assembly, the UDF secured 102 seats, well past the majority mark. Congress alone won 63 seats, while its ally the Indian Union Muslim League secured 22. The LDF was reduced to 35 seats the Communist Party of India (Marxist) winning 26 and the Communist Party of India taking 8. The Bharatiya Janata Party won three seats, improving on its previous tally. Former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan retained his Dharmadam constituency but the alliance he led was routed, ending his tenure.