VD Satheesan to be Kerala CM: 3 reasons why Congress chose him for top post
Why did Congress choose VD Satheesan as Kerala CM? Here, we explain three key reasons.
VD Satheesan will become the next chief minister of Kerala, the Congress announced on Thursday after 10 days of intense discussions and meetings.
The suspense finally ended on Thursday morning when the Congress announced Satheesan, over other top contenders KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala, as Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, and the choice for the Kerala CM post.
In his first statement after the announcement, VD Satheesan, 61, said he would take into confidence senior Congress leaders and candidates for the top post, KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala.
Quick answers to key questions
VD Satheesan was chosen for his prominent role as the Leader of the Opposition, his strong campaign leadership for the UDF, and support from key allies like the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). He was also seen as a 'people's candidate' and had significant backing from Congress MLAs.
Before becoming Chief Minister, VD Satheesan served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly. He has also held positions in the Kerala Students Union and Youth Congress, and has been an MLA for the Paravur constituency since 2001.
KC Venugopal welcomed the decision wholeheartedly, stating 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 fulfill the aspirations of the people of Kerala.
VD Satheesan is a lawyer by profession and comes from a Congress family. He began his political journey with the Kerala Students Union and later became active in the Youth Congress. He has been an MLA from the Paravur constituency since 2001 and is known for his sharp speaking and organizational skills.
The Congress-led UDF secured a significant victory in the Kerala Assembly elections, winning 102 out of 140 seats, which is more than a two-thirds majority. This win ended a decade of Left rule in the state.
"I do not see this position as a personal achievement, but as something divine. It was KC Venugopal who coordinated all the activities of the AICC. His support was immense. Ramesh Chennithala is also my leader. I will take all of them into complete confidence...," Satheesan said.
A decision on the next Kerala chief minister had been pending since 4 May, when the Congress-led UDF won 102 seats out of 140, which is more than a two-thirds majority.
The Congress has 63 MLAs in the 140-member Kerala Assembly. Its allies, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has 22, Kerala Congress (KEC) has eight and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) has three seats.
Why did Congress choose Satheesan as Kerala CM?
VD Satheesan, the top choice for CM
Ahead of the Kerala Assembly Elections 2026, an exit poll showed VD Satheesan as the top choice for the CM, after the outgoing CM Pinarayi Vijayan. The Axis My India Kerala exit polls showed that 21 per cent of those polled favoured Satheesan as the CM choice, while at least 33 per cent wanted Vijayan to continue as the chief minister.
According to an NDTV report, Satheesan was seen as the 'people's candidate'.
2. Support from the Congress' allies
Satheesan was reportedly backed by the party's allies — the IUML (22 seats), the Kerala Congress (7 seats), and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (3) — totalling 32 MLAs in the new Assembly, the Congress simply could not afford to lose.
The most important among them is IUML. Losing its support would have cost the Congress its critical grassroots support.
According to NDTV, the Muslim League's ground force ensured Rahul Gandhi won the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in 2019 and 2024, and in Priyanka Gandhi's by-election win.
On the appointment of Satheesan as the Kerala CM, IUML state chief Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said his party 'fully supports the Congress' decision'.
3. VD Satheesan, the 'nayakan'
The Kerala CM-elect has been credited with helping lead the Congress to an emphatic win in the 2026 Assembly Elections, and was hailed as 'nayakan', or 'hero', in posters displayed outside its state offices, NDTV reported.
A highly experienced leader, Satheesan was the Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Kerala Assembly and had dominated the Paravur seat, winning it from the Communist Party's P Raju in 2001, by 7,434 votes, and making it a Congress bastion.
Satheesan was also the principal face of the UDF’s campaign against the outgoing Left government over the last five years. According to news agency ANI, he emerged as a “prominent face" of the UDF campaign and remained a vocal critic of the state government on political and governance issues.
Born in 1964 in Nettoor near Kochi, Satheesan is a lawyer by profession. He began his political journey through the Kerala Students Union (KSU) and later became active in the Youth Congress
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