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According to party sources, KC Venugopal was considered the frontrunner for the top post.
VD Satheesan Announced New Kerala CM
Kerala CM Race: Ten days after the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) secured a sweeping victory in the Kerala Assembly elections, the grand old party of Thursday ended the suspense and named senior leader VD Satheesan as the next Chief Minister of Kerala.
The decision was announced at a press conference by AICC in-charge of Kerala Deepa Dasmunshi and the party’s central observers for the state Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik. Satheesan won the race for the top job after edging out two other contenders, AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal and former Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala.
Read More: KC Venugopal Was Frontrunner For Kerala CM Post: What Changed In 48 Hours?
Despite Venugopal being the popular choice of MLAs and high command, the cadres have prevailed in the party’s decision as the high command was forced to recognise that ignoring the ground-level demand for Satheesan would hurt the party’s future in the state.
According to party sources, Venugopal was considered the frontrunner for the top post. However, the situation changed after senior Kerala Congress leaders held discussions with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi this week.
Sources said senior leaders told Rahul Gandhi that both public opinion and the Congress alliance partners were in favour of Satheesan becoming the next chief minister. They also suggested that the party should avoid selecting a leader who is not an MLA, as it would lead to bypolls.
Earlier, CNN-News18 had reported that 43 of the 63 newly elected Congress MLAs had supported Venugopal for the chief minister’s post during meetings with observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik in Thiruvananthapuram last week. Venugopal had been instrumental in securing tickets for many of these MLAs-elect, and many were said to feel personally indebted to him.
But Satheesan was the face of the UDF’s winning campaign, captaining “Team UDF” with unusual cohesion and often projecting clarity when the coalition itself seemed uncertain.
Read More: What Is VD Satheesan’s Net Worth? New Kerala CM Owns Assets Worth Over Rs 6 Crore
As Leader of the Opposition since 2021, Satheesan consistently led the Congress attack on the Pinarayi Vijayan government both inside and outside the Assembly. Satheesan successfully repositioned the Congress as an aggressive opposition force after the UDF’s 2021 defeat. His visibility during protests, Assembly interventions and issue-based campaigns helped consolidate the party’s grassroots workers ahead of the 2026 election.
The Congress’ key ally in the UDF, Indian Union Muslim League, which has 22 MLAs, however, was also said to be backing Satheesan. IUML leaders reportedly told Congress observers that selecting a sitting MLA as chief minister would help avoid unnecessary by-elections.
The Congress-led UDF secured a commanding 102 out of 140 Assembly seats, marking a historic comeback after a decade and reducing the Left Democratic Front to just 35 seats.
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