After days of hectic back-channel negotiations, factional pressure and intense power play within the Congress, the party finally chose V D Sathisan as chief minister of Kerala on Thursday.
The announcement, made in New Delhi by Kerala AICC in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi, brought down the curtain on a bitter power tussle between Sathisan, KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala. Follow latest updates on Kerala CM’s decision
But from workers chanting slogans on the streets of Wayanad to warning posters targeting Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Rahul Gandhi’s 40-minute meeting with Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge – the decision on the top job in Kerala has not been easy.
1. IUML payment
One of the biggest reasons behind Sathisan’s promotion was the support he received from the key allies of the United Democratic Front, especially the Indian Muslim League.
The IDF, which includes 22 lawmakers in the UDF camp, strongly backed Sathisean, saying the coalition’s landslide victory was a confirmation of the political line he had followed as opposition leader for the past five years.
Other allies also joined forces behind him. The Kerala Congress (Joseph), which has seven RSP members, and the RSP, which has three legislators, also supported Sathisan.
For the congressional senior leadership, ignoring the IFMC’s position was not at all easy. The IMF has long been the organizational backbone of the Congress in several parts of Kerala and played a key role in the landslide victories of Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad in 2019 and 2024, and later in Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s by-poll victory from the constituency.
2. Popular pressure
In the days following the May 4 election results, Congress workers across Kerala held demonstrations demanding Sathisean’s appointment as chief minister. The protesters argued that the face who led the opposition campaign against the LDF government should also lead the new administration.
In the Kerala elections, the Congress won 63 of the 102 alliance seats. The International Trade Union Confederation got 22 seats, the Kerala Congress got eight seats, and the Revolutionary Socialist Party got three seats.
The pressure has become particularly evident in Wayanad, where posters have appeared outside Congress offices in the district and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s office has warned the leadership against supporting Venugopal.
“Mr Rahul, KC may be your bag holder, but the people of Kerala will never forgive you,” one poster read.
“Wayanad will be the next Amethi,” another warned.
“RG and PG, Kerala will never forgive you for this blunder,” a third poster said.
The public messages reflected the mood among sections of Congress cadres, many of whom saw Sathisean as the leader who best connected with the party’s base and the broader anti-LDF sentiment in the state.
3. Political reality
Behind the scenes, intense lobbying continued between the camps supporting VD Satheesan, KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala, as the Congress leadership weighed regulatory equations and political optics before taking a final decision.
Another factor that worked against Venugopal was the perception within many political camps that he was seen as a Delhi-based Kerala organizational leader rather than a mass leader rooted in the day-to-day politics of the state.
According to a senior Congress leader, Venugopal — AICC general secretary (organization) and Lok Sabha MP from Alappuzha — remained the preferred choice of sections of the central leadership, especially Rahul Gandhi. However, Sathisean steadily gained the upper hand due to the strong popular support he enjoyed, coupled with that of party workers, state leaders and key alliance partners.
To break the deadlock, the Congress leadership deputed senior leaders Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken as observers to Kerala for consultations with the newly elected legislators. Finally, the Congress Party’s legislative council passed a resolution authorizing the party’s high command to take the final decision on the post of Prime Minister.
The final decision came after Rahul Gandhi held a nearly 40-minute meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday, after which the party indicated that the consultations had concluded.
