KC Venugopal's first reaction as Congress picks VD Satheesan as Kerala CM: ‘As a sincere Congressman…’
KC Venugopal said Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had sought his opinion and said, ‘as a sincere Congressman, we are all behind the party’s decision.’
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal, one of the prominent names being considered for the Kerala chief minister's post, today welcomed the Congress leadership's decision to name VD Satheesan instead. Speaking to reporters after the Congress party announced Satheesan’s name, Venugopal said Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had sought his opinion, and said, “As a sincere Congressman, we are all behind the party’s decision."
Venugopal remarked: “The final decision has come, and the Congress high command decided VD Satheesan as the Chief Ministerial candidate for Keralam Government. I am welcoming that decision wholeheartedly. I am congratulating VD Satheesan on this position.”
He added, “I think that people of Keralam have given a big verdict for the UDF. The government and the leadership of VD Satheesan can fulfil the aspirations and promises of the people of Keralam. Certainly, we are totally behind the government of Keralam.”
Quick answers to key questions
VD Satheesan has been selected as the Chief Minister candidate for the Kerala Government by the Congress party. KC Venugopal welcomed this decision, stating that he and other Congress members are fully behind the party's choice.
VD Satheesan was chosen as he emerged as a prominent face of the UDF campaign against the ruling Left government and is credited for leading the Congress campaign that brought the UDF back to power. The Indian Union Muslim League also backed Satheesan, reportedly conveying that he has wider public acceptance.
KC Venugopal welcomed the decision, saying that, as a sincere Congressman, he and others are behind the party's choice. He congratulated VD Satheesan and expressed confidence that Satheesan's leadership would fulfil the aspirations of the people of Kerala.
The selection process involved discussions between Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who sought opinions from KC Venugopal. After considering various contenders and consulting with party leaders and workers, the Congress high command finalized the decision.
VD Satheesan expressed gratitude to the Congress leadership and credited his supporters, including lakhs of Congress workers and the UDF team, for his selection. He acknowledged the significant responsibility given to him by the party.
Venugopal added that “Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi discussed the situation and the decision-making process. They called me and asked me my opinion, and we all discussed that.”
“I am thanking the MLAs, party workers, party functionaries for the support they have given to me. Finally, the party took a decision, and as a sincere Congressman, we are all behind the party's decision,” Venugopal said.
How VD Satheesan reacted
As his name was announced as the next Kerala chief minister, Satheesan thanked the Congress leadership and credited his supporters for his win.
He said, "I achieved this with the support of lakhs of Congress workers and team UDF. Congress has given me a huge responsibility, I thank party leadership for it.”
Besides Satheesan and Venugopal, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala was also in the race for the CM post.
The decision today comes more than 10 days after the results of the Keala Assembly polls were declared. The Congress-led UDF secured a more than two-thirds majority in the Kerala Assembly elections, but the party was unable to decide on its chief ministerial face amid lobbying by different camps and protests by workers at the ground level.
What next?
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Sunny Joseph said that All India Congress Committee (AICC) observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik, along with the party-in-charge of the state, Deepa Dasmunsi, will reach Thiruvananthapuram by 4 pm.
Following that, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting of the party MLAs will be held at the Assembly in the evening, Joseph said.
(With agency inputs)
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