VD Satheesan set to be new Kerala CM as Indian National Congress ends days of suspense over top post

VD Satheesan will be the new chief minister of Kerala, the Indian National Congress announced on Thursday after days of intense discussions and consultations following the party-led alliance’s election victory.

The announcement came ten days after the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) defeated the ruling Left alliance, ending a decade of Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led rule in the state.

The decision was announced in New Delhi by Congress general secretary in-charge of Kerala Deepa Dasmunshi, alongside senior party leaders Ajay Maken, Mukul Wasnik and Jairam Ramesh.

Dasmunshi said the Congress Legislature Party had unanimously authorised party president Mallikarjun Kharge to choose the CLP leader after consultations with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders.

Satheesan emerged as the final choice after days of deliberations among the Congress high command and Kerala leaders. Other prominent contenders for the post included KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala.

Who is VD Satheesan?

Satheesan is one of Kerala Congress’s most prominent leaders and served as the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly during the Left government’s tenure.

He recently won from the Paravur constituency in Ernakulam district and has represented the seat multiple times. He is considered popular among party workers and enjoys strong backing from key UDF allies, including the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Kerala Congress (Joseph).

Delay over CM pick

The Congress faced criticism for taking longer than expected to announce its chief ministerial candidate, even as other states completed government formation after the election results on May 4.

According to party sources, KC Venugopal was seen as the preferred choice of sections within the Congress high command. However, Satheesan reportedly held stronger support among MLAs, party workers and alliance partners.

KC Venugopal welcomes decision

Following the announcement, Venugopal publicly backed Satheesan’s elevation and congratulated him.

“I welcome the decision wholeheartedly,” Venugopal said, adding that the people of Kerala had delivered a decisive mandate for the UDF and expressing confidence that Satheesan’s leadership would fulfil public expectations.

He also said the Congress leadership and party workers would fully support the incoming Kerala government under Satheesan.