Late-stage consultations were conducted in New Delhi this morning. Venugopal met Gandhi at his residence, while central observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik along with the party's general secretary communications Jairam Ramesh met Kharge at his residence.
New Delhi: Ten days after the Congress-led UDF secured victory in the assembly elections in Kerala, the party on Thursday (May 14) brought nearly two weeks of uncertainty to a close and declared the former leader of opposition in the state, V.D. Satheesan, as the incoming chief minister by appointing him as the leader of the Congress legislature party.
“The Congress Legislature Party had convened in Thiruvananthapuram on May 7 and had unanimously decided to authorise the Congress president to designate the new leader of the CLP in the state of Keralam,” stated AICC general secretary in-charge of Kerala, Deepa Dasmunsi, during a press conference in New Delhi.
“Accordingly, the Congress president conducted detailed consultations with the Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the AICC observers who had interacted with the newly elected MLAs…and several other leaders from the state, including MPs and former PCC presidents, were also consulted. Based on all these discussions, it has been resolved that V.D. Satheesan be appointed as the leader of the CLP,” she added.
The declaration concludes nearly two weeks of suspense over who would secure the top position in the state among three contenders, including Satheesan, Congress MP and general secretary K.C. Venugopal and veteran leader Ramesh Chennithala.
Satheesan expressed gratitude to Venugopal, Chennithala and Sunny Joseph, as he addressed reporters after the decision. “We worked tirelessly for the people’s welfare, with intentions to build a renewed state, I regard this as divine,” he said.
Venugopal informed reporters that he accepted the decision wholeheartedly, shortly after the announcement.
“The final decision has arrived, and the Congress high command selected V.D. Satheesan as the Chief Ministerial candidate for Keralam Government. I am welcoming that decision wholeheartedly,” he said.
“I am congratulating V.D. Satheesan on this responsibility. I think that people of Keralam have delivered a massive verdict for the UDF. The administration and the leadership of V.D. Satheesan can realise the aspirations and commitments of the people of Keralam. Certainly, we are completely behind the government of Keralam,” he added.
Rounds of deliberations
On the evening of May 13, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi held a concluding round of discussions that continued for about 40 minutes. However the announcement was postponed till Thursday.
While a meeting of the CLP was scheduled for 1 pm in Thiruvananthapuram, last minute consultations were conducted in New Delhi on Thursday morning. Venugopal met Gandhi at his residence, while central observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik and the party’s general secretary communications Jairam Ramesh met Kharge at his residence.
Following the announcement of the assembly election results on May 4, intense discussions continued over who would be appointed chief minister, with Venugopal and Satheesan emerging as the principal frontrunners.
Satheesan had earlier obtained the support of the Congress’ allies in the state including the IUML which secured 22 seats. He was also credited with the party’s victory in the state, through which it unseated the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government after a decade.
Venugopal, on the other hand, also enjoyed the backing of a section of Congress MLAs, even though he did not contest the 2026 assembly elections. Appointing him the chief minister would then again require bypolls in the state as Venugopal is a Lok Sabha MP from Alapuzzha. The Congress high command too has only on limited occasions appointed sitting MPs chief ministers after elections have been won. The last such instance was in 2018 when Kamal Nath, then a sitting MP, was appointed Madhya Pradesh chief minister.
The party also encountered criticism in recent days over its delay in selecting the chief minister as it conducted broader consultations over 10 days. These included meetings between Gandhi and former KPCC presidents including M.M. Hassan, K. Sudhakaran, K. Muralidharan and V.M. Sudheeran, as well as MP Shafi Parambil. Meanwhile posters emerged targeting both Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Wayanad as tensions escalated over the deadlock in selecting the chief minister.