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Days of uncertainty over Kerala’s next Chief Minister finally ended on Thursday, May 14, after mounting public support for VD Satheesan and pressure from UDF allies helped tilt the Congress leadership battle in his favour. The Congress high command picked Satheesan to lead the new government despite reports that a majority of the party’s MLAs had backed KC Venugopal during consultations with central observers.
Satheesan, who led the UDF campaign against the LDF, had emerged as the public face of the alliance’s comeback bid, with posters, social media campaigns, and demonstrations by party workers across Kerala openly projecting him as the next Chief Minister.
Though 47 of the Congress’ 63 MLAs are learnt to have favoured KC Venugopal during one-to-one meetings with AICC observers, Satheesan secured the backing of key UDF allies, including the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which has 22 MLAs, besides broad support among party workers and sections of the public. Within the Congress, Satheesan had the backing of only six MLAs, while senior leader Ramesh Chennithala drew support from eight. The meetings with Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken, and AICC general secretary Deepa Dasmunsi, who is in charge of Kerala affairs, were held in Thiruvananthapuram on May 7.
The Congress Legislature Party had earlier passed a resolution authorising the high command to make the final call on the leadership question.
The appointment marks a major political milestone for 61-year-old Satheesan, who had tied his political future to the UDF’s electoral performance. During the election campaign, Satheesan had declared that he would step away from active politics if the alliance failed to secure a convincing mandate. The UDF’s victory has now strengthened his standing within the party and re-established him as one of the most influential Congress leaders in Kerala.
Born in Nettur in Ernakulam district, Satheesan entered politics through student activism at Sacred Heart College, Thevara. He later held leadership positions in student organisations, including the Mahatma Gandhi University Union and the National Students Union of India (NSUI).
His political growth was shaped by years of grassroots work in Paravur. Though he narrowly lost his first Assembly election in 1996, he steadily consolidated his position in the constituency and went on to win repeatedly from the seat.
Within the Congress, Satheesan is widely regarded as a strong organiser and campaign strategist. Party leaders credit him with helping revive the UDF’s political momentum through a series of electoral gains, including key byelection victories and the alliance’s strong performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Kerala. His supporters also point to his efforts in broadening the alliance’s social outreach and reconnecting with communities that had drifted away from the Congress in recent years.
During the Assembly campaign, Satheesan consistently foregrounded issues of secularism and positioned the UDF as an alternative to both majority and minority communal politics. He also sought to energise party workers and alliance partners through the “Team UDF” slogan, which became a central theme of the campaign.
Despite being considered a frontrunner in previous power transitions within the Congress, Satheesan had missed out on key opportunities in the past, including a possible ministerial role during the Oommen Chandy government. His elevation as Chief Minister is therefore being viewed by many within the party as the culmination of a long political journey marked by persistence, organisational work, and electoral success.