VD Satheesan named next Kerala chief minister as Congress ends suspense

NEW DELHI: Congress has picked VD Satheesan for the post of Kerala chief minister on Thursday. The announcement came more than a week after the Congress-led United Democratic Front swept back to power in Kerala, ending the second consecutive term of the Left Democratic Front-led by Pinarayi Vijayan.

The decision was finalised by the Congress leadership after discussions within the party’s top brass, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. The name of Satheesan as CM edged past veteran leader KC Venugopal, who was also in race for the top job.



The landslide mandate in favour of the UDF came on May 4, reflecting a clear shift in public support towards the Congress-led alliance and a change from the LDF government.

Following the announcement of the next Kerala chief minister, the Congress Kerala Committee is set to meet governor today to formally stake claim to form the government.

Satheesan won the 2026 Kerala assembly election from the Paravur constituency, marking his sixth consecutive term as an MLA. He secured 78,658 votes and defeated CPI candidate E T Taison Master by a margin of 20,600 votes. He has represented Paravur for 25 years, having first won the seat in 2001.

As leader of opposition in the Kerala legislative assembly since 2021, Satheesan became a prominent face of the UDF campaign against the ruling Left government and consistently raised issues related to governance and policy.

He also served as Vice President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee and took over as leader of opposition after Ramesh Chennithala following the 2021 elections.

Born in 1964 in Nettoor near Kochi, Satheesan is a lawyer by profession. He began his political career through the Kerala Students Union (KSU) and later became active in the Youth Congress.



The name was picked after days of intense backroom consultations in Thiruvananthapuram and New Delhi, with the Congress high command weighing competing claims from three senior leaders, VD Satheesan, KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala.

The delay become a political story in itself in the last few days. The Congress-led UDF secured a decisive mandate on May 4, winning 102 of Kerala's 140 seats, with the Congress emerging as the single largest party in the alliance with 63 seats.