VD Satheesan, senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assembly, has been named by the Congress as the next Chief Minister of Kerala, ending 10 days of marathon deliberations after the United Democratic Front (UDF)’s sweeping Assembly election victory.

The Congress high command picked Satheesan, a six-time MLA and one of the party’s most popular faces in the state, 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.

"The Congress Legislature Party met in Thiruvananthapuram on May 7, and unanimously resolved to authorise the Congress President to appoint the new leader of the CLP in the state of Kerala. It has been decided to appoint VD Satheesan as the leader of the CLP," Congress leader Deepa Dasmunsi announced in Delhi.

While a majority of the Congress Legislature Party reportedly favoured Venugopal, the AICC general secretary, Satheesan enjoyed massive popular support after emerging as the party’s principal face in the past five years since the party's electoral setback in 2021.

Though all three leaders remained firm in staking claim to the top post, sources said the decision to appoint Satheesan eventually emerged through a consensus among the party leadership and the other Chief Minister contenders.

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.

Though Satheesan's name had emerged as the default choice for the Chief Minister’s post among the party workers, even though the party had contested the election without projecting a CM face, KC Venugopal’s entry into the race complicated the Congress high command’s decision-making. Venugopal was believed to enjoy the backing of a majority of the newly elected MLAs, many of whom are considered loyal to him, besides his close ties with the Gandhi family.

Venugopal, a sitting MP who did not contest the Kerala Assembly polls, however, welcomed the decision to appoint Satheesan, asserting that the party and its workers are supreme to him and that he stands by the high command’s decision.

“The leadership has taken the decision after considering every single factor. There is no doubt about it. There is not going to be any issue in the Congress. The party is everything to me. If the workers are pained, so am I," he said.

Amid the intense factional tussle within the Congress ahead of the leadership decision, Venugopal said, “Those who attack me can continue. My position is that the party is supreme.”