After days of backroom negotiations among senior leaders, rising factional tensions within the party and growing public impatience after the UDF’s thumping victory, the Congress has finally picked VD Satheesan as Kerala’s next chief minister.
Six-time MLA and the leader of the opposition in the previous legislature, Satheesan, 62, had led the UDF's dramatic comeback against the seemingly invincible LDF government.
The decision capped one of the most closely watched race for chief minister in recent Kerala political history. With powerful contenders like KC Venugopal and veteran leader Ramesh Chennithala in the race, the Congress high command faced mounting pressure to strike a balance between experience, organisational control and public appeal. In the end, the party turned to the man who had become the sharpest critic of the Pinarayi Vijayan government inside and outside the Assembly.
Satheesan’s elevation follows the Congress-led United Democratic Front’s landslide victory in the Assembly elections, where the alliance stormed back to power with 102 seats in the 140-member House. Congress alone secured 63 seats, its strongest performance in years, signalling a major political revival in a state long dominated by bipolar contests.
The announcement came after intense consultations involving Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leader Rahul Gandhi and key alliance partners in Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram. The Indian Union Muslim League, an influential UDF ally, had openly backed Satheesan’s candidature, strengthening his position during the final round of deliberations.
Over the decades, Satheesan has steadily built a reputation as one of Congress’s most aggressive and articulate leaders. Unlike many senior Congress figures, Satheesan cultivated an image rooted in grassroots politics, legislative combat and reform-oriented politics.
Born in Nettoor near Kochi in 1964, the lawyer-turned-politician entered public life through the Kerala Students Union and later rose through the Youth Congress ranks. His biggest political breakthrough came in 2021 when the Congress unexpectedly appointed him Leader of the Opposition despite his lack of ministerial experience.
Over the past five years, Satheesan transformed himself into the principal face of resistance against the LDF government,. His aggressive political style and ability to connect with younger voters helped energise the Congress organisation at a time when the party was struggling nationally.
