V.D. Satheesan was sworn in as Kerala's 13th Chief Minister on Monday at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, ending a decade of CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front rule in the state.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other senior national leaders attended the ceremony. Along with Satheesan, 20 ministers also assumed office.
Here is a detailed look at the man who now leads Kerala.
From Lawyer to Legislator
Born on May 31, 1964 in Nettoor, Ernakulam, Satheesan completed his schooling at Panangad High School, his undergraduate degree in sociology from Sacred Heart College, Thevara, and a postgraduate degree in social work from Rajagiri College of Social Sciences.
He then earned an LLB from Kerala Law Academy Law College and an LLM from Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. He practised law at the Kerala High Court for approximately ten years before turning to full-time politics.
His political beginnings were in student activism — he served as chairman of the Mahatma Gandhi University Union during 1986-87 and as secretary of the National Students' Union of India.
Six Consecutive Wins From Paravur
Satheesan first contested the Paravur Assembly seat in 1996 — then a communist stronghold — and lost narrowly to CPI candidate P. Raju.
He contested again in 2001 and won, and has held the seat through six consecutive elections in 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021 and 2026. His victories were consistently against CPI opponents, with margins growing over the years. In 2026, he won from Paravur by more than 20,000 votes.
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An Unexpected Rise As Opposition Leader
In May 2021, the Congress Working Committee appointed him Leader of the Opposition in the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly — a choice that surprised many, as he had no prior ministerial experience.
He had previously been denied ministerial positions, reportedly due to strained relationships with influential communitarian lobbies.
Over the next five years, he emerged as an aggressive and effective critic of the Pinarayi Vijayan government, building a reputation as a sharp debater and disciplined organisational hand. His political persona has been described as assertive, confident and confrontational — a departure from the more consensus-driven style of traditional Kerala Congress politics.
Architect of the UDF's Return
Satheesan's five-year tenure as Opposition Leader coincided with a string of electoral gains that culminated in the 2026 landslide.
He is widely credited with delivering UDF victories in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the 2025 local body elections, and multiple by-elections, before leading the coalition to a decisive 102-seat victory in the 2026 Assembly election. The Congress alone won 63 seats, while ally IUML won 22. The LDF was reduced to 35 seats and the BJP to three.
The chief ministerial race involved intense competition from senior leaders including KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala, before the Congress high command, after consultations involving Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, settled on Satheesan.
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The New Government's Priorities
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who takes charge of the Home portfolio, said the government would fulfil guarantees announced by Rahul Gandhi during the election campaign.
On a personal note, Satheesan described himself as a "Nehruvian socialist" and said he had asked police to limit his security convoy to three vehicles, citing the inconvenience large motorcades cause to ordinary citizens.
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