The much-anticipated announcement that V. D. Satheesan would helm the Congress-led UDF government in Kerala came exactly 10 days after the election mandate became clear. Though the decision on who would become the next Chief Minister remained closely guarded until the official announcement on Thursday afternoon, the signs had begun to emerge earlier in the day.
Satheesan, who spent Wednesday at his residence in Ernakulam, suddenly left for Thiruvananthapuram by road early on Thursday morning. Accompanied by his daughter and niece, his departure fuelled speculation that a major announcement was imminent.
Soon, reports emerged that AICC general secretary K C Venugopal had not boarded the chartered flight carrying the AICC delegation — including Kerala in-charge Deepa Das Munshi, Mukul Wasnik, and Ajay Maken — to Kerala. Venugopal’s closed-door meeting with Rahul Gandhi on Thursday morning further intensified rumours that the decision was not going in his favour. He declined to respond to questions from reporters. His decision to remain in Delhi was also interpreted as a subtle signal from the Congress high command that his political role would continue at the national level.
By noon, it had become increasingly clear that Satheesan would be named the next Chief Minister of Kerala, though the formal announcement was still pending. Upon arriving at his official residence in Thiruvananthapuram, Satheesan was surrounded by the media but chose not to respond to their questions.
Soon after, the AICC leadership convened a press conference. In a brief statement, Deepa Das Munshi officially announced Satheesan as the next Chief Minister. Celebrations erupted outside his official residence soon after the announcement.
Satheesan enjoyed significant public support, and political observers argued that the UDF’s sweeping victory reflected both a strong pro-Satheesan wave and widespread anti-incumbency sentiment against Pinarayi Vijayan. UDF allies, including the IUML, had reportedly conveyed to the AICC leadership — particularly Priyanka Gandhi — their preference for Satheesan.
Although K C Venugopal reportedly had the backing of a majority of MLAs, as well as the support of the KPCC president and several senior leaders — with the exceptions of V M Sudheeran and K Muraleedharan — the AICC could not ignore the growing pro-Sateeshan sentiment across Kerala. The third contender, Ramesh Chennithala, failed to make it to the final stage of deliberations, as the contest eventually narrowed down to Satheesan and Venugopal.