The long-drawn suspense over the new Kerala Chief Minister ended on Thursday, with the Congress announcing V D Satheesan's name for the top post. The 61-year-old six-time MLA from the Paravur Assembly constituency has been credited with the United Democratic Front's (UDF) thumping victory in the recently concluded elections despite infighting in the Congress.
The Congress high command picked Satheesan, setting aside the prospects of other senior leaders KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala. The three names had dominated discussions within the party, triggering intense factional lobbying in Kerala over the past few days.
Satheesan is widely credited as the architect of the party-led front’s emphatic 102-seat victory, driven by an aggressive campaign and the forging of a broad umbrella coalition. He also spearheaded the Opposition’s attack on the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government over corruption allegations, governance issues, and economic concerns across key political platforms.
Born in 1964 in Nettoor near Kochi, Satheesan is a trained lawyer and social worker who entered politics through the Kerala Students Union (KSU). He was also part of the National Students' Union of India, the student wing of the Congress. Satheesan's electoral debut was in 1996 when he contested the Assembly polls from Paravur.
