Congress names VD Satheesan as new Kerala chief minister
What's the story
The Indian National Congress has announced VD Satheesan as the new Chief Minister of Kerala, ending 10 days of suspense following the United Democratic Front (UDF)'s sweeping victory in the recent assembly election. The decision came after several rounds of consultations in Delhi that lasted hours before a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting in Thiruvananthapuram. The meeting in Delhi was attended by senior leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Announcement
Announcement by party
"The Congress Legislature Party had met in Thiruvananthapuram on May 7 and had unanimously resolved to authorize the Congress president to appoint the new leader of the CLP...Accordingly, the Congress president....held extensive discussions with the Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the AICC observers." "Based on all these discussions, it has been decided that V D Satheesan be appointed as the leader of the CLP," Congress leader Deepa Dasmunsi announced in Delhi.
Popular choice
Satheesan chosen over other senior leaders
Satheesan, a six-time MLA and Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assembly, was chosen over other senior leaders KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala. Sources told NDTV that Satheesan, who enjoyed massive popular support from the people and UDF constituent Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), was not ready to settle for a secondary role. The UDF won a whopping 102 seats out of 140 in the recent Kerala Assembly elections.
Transition phase
Government formation process underway
With Satheesan now officially the CLP leader, the Congress is likely to move swiftly toward forming a government and cabinet discussions. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunny Joseph has already contacted Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar for the government formation process. The newly elected legislators may also hold a roadshow to Lok Bhavan after the CLP meeting.
Political maneuvering
Internal lobbying and alliance pressure
The decision to appoint Satheesan was not without its share of internal lobbying within the party. The delay in announcing the CM had caused anxiety among party workers and alliance partners. Satheeshan, a practicing lawyer in the High Court of Kerala, was first elected to the Kerala Assembly from North Paravur, Ernakulam District, in 2001. He has served the Paravur constituency for 25 years, and this is his sixth consecutive term.