Ending days of speculations, the Congress on Thursday named VD Satheesan as the next chief minister of Kerala.
AICC in-charge of Kerala Deepa Dasmunshi and the party's central observers for the state Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik announced the decision at a press conference.
Satheesan, KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala were the three main contenders for the post of chief minister.
Satheesan, 57, is a Kerala Congress stalwart who rose through the ranks of the party's student and youth wings before becoming one of its most formidable legislators.
As Leader of the Opposition during Pinarayi Vijayan's second term, he delivered a combative, disciplined performance that many credit as central to the UDF's sweeping return to power.
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Despite never having held a ministerial post in past Congress governments, he commanded the respect of both the legislative party and the party's grassroots base.
Satheesan's supporters highlighted his role as the face of the campaign and five years of opposition, as well as his ground-level popularity across the state. Reports also suggested he had the backing of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra within the Gandhi family.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front had registered a clear and historic victory in the Kerala Assembly elections, winning 102 out of 140 seats — marking a major comeback after a decade in opposition, as the Left Democratic Front was reduced to just 35 seats.
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Yet the internal contest over who would lead the new government quickly overshadowed the triumph, with rival factions openly lobbying, flex-board wars erupting across the state, and one party worker in Kottayam attempting self-immolation.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh had announced Wednesday that "the decision on who the Chief Minister of Kerala would be will be declared on Thursday," following a 45-minute one-on-one between Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
AICC observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik had completed consultations with MLAs and, reportedly, submitted their reports before the final decision was made.
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