Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], May 14 (HBTV): VD Satheesan will be the next Chief Minister of Keralam after the Congress announced him as the Legislative Party leader on Thursday, following more than a week of deliberations with party leaders travelling to Delhi.
With the announcement, the Congress will proceed to form the government in the state, ending days of speculation as top leaders contested for the post. Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala were also in the fray for the state’s top post.
Satheesan served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Keralam Assembly before the United Democratic Front’s decisive victory in the 2026 Keralam Assembly elections. The alliance secured 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly.
Following the announcement, the Congress Keralam Committee is set to meet Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and stake claim to form the government.
Satheesan won the 2026 Keralam Assembly election from the Paravur constituency, securing his sixth consecutive term as an MLA.
He secured 78,658 votes and defeated CPI candidate ET Taison Master by a margin of 20,600 votes. He has represented the Paravur constituency for 25 years, having first won the seat in 2001.
As the Leader of the Opposition in the Keralam Legislative Assembly since 2021, Satheesan emerged as a prominent face of the United Democratic Front campaign against the ruling Left government and has been a vocal critic on various political and governance issues.
He also served as the Vice President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee and succeeded Ramesh Chennithala as the Leader of the Opposition after the 2021 Assembly election.
Born in 1964 in Nettoor near Kochi, Satheesan is a lawyer by profession. He began his political journey through the Kerala Students Union and later became active in the Youth Congress.
(ANI)