V D Sathisan is set to become the new Chief Minister of Kerala, the Congress announced on Thursday, May 14, after days of anticipation, high-level discussions and deliberations.
The major announcement comes ten days after the Congress-led United Democratic Front won Kerala after ending a decade of Left rule in the state.
The announcement was made by Deepa Dasmunshi, Congress general secretary in charge of Kerala, during a press conference in Delhi. She was accompanied by Congress leaders Ajay Maken, Mukul Wasnik and Jairam Ramesh.
“The Congress Legislative Party met in Thiruvananthapuram and unanimously authorized the Congress President to select the leader of the CLP. The Congress President held extensive discussions with the Congress Legislative Party leader (Sonia Gandhi), the Leader of the Opposition (Rahul Gandhi) and several other leaders including former CLP chiefs. Based on all these discussions, it was decided to appoint VD Sathisan as the leader of the Congress Legislative Party,” Dasmunshi announced.
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The decision comes after several Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) leaders and former presidents of the Congress’ Kerala unit met the party high command in Delhi to discuss and select the name.
Among the top three candidates for the top post, besides Sathisan, were KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala.
After the election results were announced on May 4, other states appointed their new chief ministers and governments, while Congress’s delay in naming its prime ministerial candidate caused an uproar in Kerala.
Who is VD Sathisan
VD Satheesan is a key Congress leader in Kerala and served as Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly during the rule of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
In the recently held Assembly elections, he won from Kerala’s Paravur constituency in Ernakulam district. He has been elected MLA several times in Kerala and enjoys broad local support there among the party ranks as well as from key allies like the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Kerala Congress (Joseph).
Was KC Venugopal the preferred choice of the Congress high command?
The delay in announcing the Congress’s choice of chief minister was because the party was holding several rounds of discussions between the party high command, local leaders and MLAs.
Also Read: How VD Satheesan beat Congress high command’s pick KC Venugopal in the race to be Keralam CM
According to a senior Congress leader, KC Venugopal was the preferred choice of the Congress high command for the role. However, Satheesan enjoys more popular support and that of allies like IUML.
“I welcome the decision”
After the Congress announced the selection of VD Satheesan as the next chief minister of Kerala, KC Venugopal said he welcomed the decision and congratulated Satheesan.
“The final decision has come and the Congress high command has decided that VD Sathisan will be the chief ministerial nominee of the Kerala government. I welcome this decision with all my heart. I congratulate VD Sathisan on the position,” Venugopal said while talking to the media after the announcement.
“I think the people of Kerala have passed a big judgment on the UDF. The government and the leadership of VD Sathisan can fulfill the aspirations and promises of the people of Kerala. Certainly, we fully support the Kerala government,” he added.
