VD Satheesan has been chosen as the nextChief Minister of Keralamafter the Congress-led UDF secured a massive victory in the Assembly elections,winning 102 out of 140 seats. Announcing it during a press conference, Congress leader Deepa Dasmunsi on Thursday (May 14) said that the Congress Legislature Party had authorised the party high command to select its leader after the meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram on May 7.
“The Congress Legislature Party has met in Trivendrum on May 7 and has unanimously decided to announce the leader of CLP,” she said during the press briefing.
“Based on consultations, it is decided that Shri VD Satheesan has been choosen as leader of CLP,” Dasmunsi announced.
Despite maintaining throughout the leadership race that he was “not making any claim” for the top post, party workers and supporters had projected him as the natural CM face following the victory.
A six-time MLA from Paravur, Satheesan took over as Leader of the Opposition in 2021 after the Congress suffered back-to-back Assembly defeats. Since then, he has led the party to multiple electoral successes, including the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the 2026 Kerala Assembly election victory.
Venugopal reportedly enjoyed the support of a majority of newly elected MLAs and several senior leaders despite not being an MLA himself. Satheesan, meanwhile, was said to have the backing of UDF allies, especially the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), along with strong public support following his aggressive opposition campaign over the last five years.
While Chennithala had based his claim on experience, seniority and broader acceptability within the organisation.
The Congress has 63 MLAs in the 140-member Kerala Assembly. Its allies Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has 22, Kerala Congress (KEC) has eight and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) three.
Sudhanshu Mishra is a Senior Copy Editor at Times Now. While his day-to-day work centres on news, his writing interests lie in the intersections of cu...View More
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