New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram | Congress leader V D Satheesan on Thursday emerged victorious in a 3-way battle for the coveted Chief Minister's post in Kerala, ending days of suspense over the top post despite the party-led UDF sweeping the April 9 Assembly polls.
, May 14 (PTI) The 61-year-old leader will be the next CM, the party announced, drawing cheers and celebrations from Satheesan's supporters and Congress workers alike. AICC General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala were the other two contenders in the race for the CM's post.
The decision selecting Satheesan was announced in Delhi at a press conference by AICC in-charge of Kerala Deepa Dasmunsi, the party's central observers for the state Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik, and Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh.
"Based on all the discussions, it has been decided that V D Satheesan be appointed as the leader of the CLP," Dasmunsi told reporters.
Hours after the announcement, the Congress Legislature Party met in Thiruvananthapuram in the presence of Dasmunsi and the two AICC observers and unanimously passed a resolution electing Satheesan as its leader. Satheesan later met Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Lok Bhavan here and handed over the list of MLAs supporting him. The new government is expected to be sworn in on Monday, sources said.
The AICC announcement came soon after Satheesan reached Thiruvananthapuram from Aluva to attend the CLP meeting.
An elated Paravoor MLA thanked the party high command for giving him such a "huge responsibility," and said the government would work to deliver on the promises made to the public and improve their standard of living.
"The people of Kerala have given us a big responsibility. They ended a 10-year-long Left rule and gave us (UDF) power by helping us win 102 of the 140 Assembly seats. So, what we promised to the public, we will fulfil one by one."
"We will all work hard with dedication to improve the living standards of the people,change Kerala, create a new Kerala and usher in a puthu yugam (new era)," he asserted.
"We will rewrite the definition of political and public work," he told reporters here.
Besides expressing his gratitude to top party leader Rahul Gandhi, Satheesan also thanked Congress general secretary Venugopal and Chennithala.
He said Venugopal coordinated the AICC efforts and supported all the party activities, which helped it achieve a huge victory in the assembly polls in the state.
"Each day he would ask about our activities and support all of them," he recalled.
He said that Chennithala worked as the campaign committee chairman and termed him as "my leader also".
While Venugopal accepted the party's decision, an aggrieved Chennithala left his residence soon after the AICC announced Satheesan's name for the top post. He did not attend the CLP meeting, but sent a letter supporting Satheesan.
Satheesan spoke to him and the party's central leaders also reached out to him in a bid to pacify him, sources said. It is not known whether he will accept a ministerial berth under Satheesan, who is much junior to him in Congress.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Venugopal said he wholeheartedly congratulated the CM-designate.
He further said that he had right from the start made it clear that he would accept the Congress decision whatever it may be as the party is everything for him.
"So, that is my stand now. I humbly accept the party high command decision and will work to implement it. I am a loyal Congressman. For me the party is everything. I don't want an image at the cost of the party. I want to die shrouded in the party flag; will give all support to the government in Kerala," he said.
Meanwhile, Satheesan visited senior Congress leader A K Antony at his residence in Thiruvananthapuram, who advised him to proceed carefully while recounting his own experiences as head of the government in 2001.
Recalling his own tenure, Antony said he became Chief Minister in 2001 after receiving a similar mandate in the Assembly elections.
He advised Satheesan to remain patient and not announce projects in a hurry.
"At that time, I also received a grand welcome. But after a few months, that mood changed and the media turned against me due to some strong decisions taken to resolve certain issues," he recalled.
While Congress allies including IUML welcomed the annoucement, the BJP took a swipe at its rival, saying that the chief ministerial pick was not the choice of Congress MLAs but of its ally, the Indian Union Muslim League, the second-largest constituent of the United Democratic Front (UDF).
Kerala's two influential caste outfits -- the Nair Service Society (NSS) and the SNDP Yogam -- also appeared unhappy over Satheesan's elevation.
NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair described Satheesan's selection as chief minister as a "surrender" by the Congress before the IUML.
"It is unfortunate. If it were a democratic decision, it would not have been this," he said. NSS is an organisation of the Nair community to which Satheesan belongs to.
"This was not the stand the high command should have taken," he claimed.
Prominent Ezhava community leader and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan said he was not going to say who had exerted the pressure, but added that "everyone knows it".
Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister-designate V D Satheesan and other ministers will be sworn in at a ceremony here on May 18.
The national leadership will invite leaders from other states for the ceremony, Satheesan told reporters after visiting the house of former Chief Minister late Oommen Chandy here on Thursday.
"Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge will attend. The swearing-in ceremony is at 10 am on May 18. All Congress leaders will be present," he said.
According to party leaders, the ceremony will be held at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
Satheesan said that a decision on other ministers will be finalised soon and discussions will begin on Friday.
He said it was Chandy who gave him most opportunities in Assembly activities when he was the Leader of the Opposition from 2006 to 2011.
"The biggest loss in my political life is not that I did not become a minister, but that I could not be one in the Oommen Chandy government," he said.
Satheesan said he had criticised Chandy multiple times, but the former CM always addressed his concerns.
"He is a big lesson for us. His life is a reminder that we should not forget the poor even when we have privileges while in power. It will always remain in my heart," he said.
Satheesan said that he will also meet former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after seeking an appointment.
The Congress-led UDF won 102 of 140 Assembly seats in the recently held elections in Kerala.
Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister-designate V D Satheesan met Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Thursday and staked claim to form the government.
Satheesan was accompanied by KPCC chief Sunny Joseph and AICC incharge of the state Deepa Dasmunsi.
They met the Governor at the Lok Bhavan after Satheesan was unanimously elected as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP).
The Lok Bhavan, in a statement, said that Arlekar handed over the letter of appointment to CM-designate Satheeshan, who presented to the Governor the letters of support from the coalition partners.
"Congratulating the CM designate, the Governor conveyed his best wishes," it said.
Satheesan was, earlier in the day, selected as the CM by the AICC.
According to party sources, the oath-taking ceremony is likely to take place on May 18.
Thiruvananthapuram | After the AICC announced V D Satheesan as the next CM of Kerala, he visited senior Congress leader A K Antony, who advised him to proceed carefully while recalling his own experience as chief minister in 2001.
Antony served as the CM of Kerala three times.
Soon after the announcement, Satheesan held a press conference at Cantonment House, the official residence of the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly.
Satheesan was the Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assembly.
After the press conference, he proceeded to the KPCC headquarters, Indira Bhavan, at Sasthamangalam.
There, he was received by KPCC president Sunny Joseph and other leaders, including Ramya Haridas, MP Kodikunnil Suresh, and MLAs M S Mohammad Shiyas, P C Vishnunadh, and Sebastian M J.
He cut a cake and later held a meeting with Joseph.
At around 3.20 pm, Satheesan reached Antony’s residence in Vazhuthacaud.
Antony welcomed the CM-designate at his residence, and the two shared light moments before other party leaders, including MLAs and MPs, joined them.
“UDF and the Congress party have selected Satheesan to make Kerala a leading South Indian state in terms of development and investment,” Antony said.
Antony said Satheesan was chosen by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge, and that he fully supports their decision.
“I extend my full support to Satheesan. Let the next five years be a golden period for Kerala,” he said.
Recalling his own tenure, Antony said he became CM in 2001 after receiving a similar mandate in the Assembly elections.
He advised Satheesan to remain patient and not announce projects in a hurry.
“At that time, I also received a grand welcome. But after a few months, that mood changed, and the media turned against me due to some strong decisions taken to resolve certain issues,” he said.
He said Kerala was then under severe financial strain.
“It was a time when Indian Airlines even denied tickets for the CM to travel to Delhi. After that, some strong decisions were taken. Those who raised slogans in my support later turned against me. I hope such a situation does not arise for Satheesan,” he said.
Antony said that from the beginning of his tenure, Satheesan may also have to face difficult situations.
He also advised people to give the new CM time to address current issues instead of criticising him immediately.
“My warm wishes to Satheesan and the UDF team,” he said.
He said Satheesan can connect with people through effective communication.
“In the age of television channels, social media, and artificial intelligence, Satheesan has strong communication skills. We hope he will do well,” Antony said.
Antony’s views were considered significant by the AICC during the decision-making process involving Satheesan, K C Venugopal, and Ramesh Chennithala.
Satheesan has also regularly sought the advice of senior leaders throughout his political career.
He has enjoyed the support of senior leaders, including Antony and V M Sudheeran.
Satheesan later visited the residence of senior Congress leader V M Sudheeran and held an hour-long meeting.
He was accompanied by MLAs V T Balram and M S Mohammad Shiyas.
Speaking to reporters, the CM-designate said that when Sudheeran was KPCC president, he had served as the organisation’s vice-president.
“I consider the opportunity to work with him one of the most fortunate experiences in my political life. I see him as a guru, someone who has the freedom to criticise and correct me. He does so whenever I make a mistake,” Satheesan said.
Satheesan said he respects Sudheeran and had come to his house to seek his blessings.
Sudheeran expressed gratitude to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge for selecting Satheesan as the CLP leader and CM of Kerala.
He said Satheesan’s selection by the party high command was appropriate, considering public sentiment, even though the preferences of MLAs were also taken into account.
“It is a matter of natural justice that Satheesan was chosen for the post. He led the party and the front as Leader of the Opposition and UDF chairman,” he said.
Sudheeran said it was a proud moment when Satheesan declared during the election campaign that the UDF would win more than 100 seats and that he would go into political exile if the target was not achieved.
“That increased the confidence of UDF workers. As a Congress worker and as a brother, it was a proud moment for me,” he said.
He said Satheesan’s stand that there would be no compromise with communal forces was also appreciable.
“I am not taking anyone’s name, but there are communal leaders who try to influence leaders to get things done. Without falling under such pressure, he upheld the values of the Indian National Congress,” he said.
He added that not only Congress workers but also supporters of allied parties have great expectations from Satheesan.
“We all know that Kerala is under severe financial stress. Development has slowed, environmental issues have been neglected, and people’s basic rights have been affected. We hope the government under him will address all these issues,” he said.
He advised Satheesan to be cautious, saying that some people become friends only when one is in power.
“Handle them cautiously,” he said.
Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala chief minister-designate V D Satheesan on Thursday offered prayers at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple here late in the evening.
Satheesan visited the temple after a day of important developments, beginning with the All India Congress Committee (AICC) selecting him as the CM face of the party and the UDF.
Later in the day, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) held a meeting and unanimously elected him as its leader in the state Assembly.
Following that, Satheesan, along with other senior Congress leaders, including AICC Kerala in-charge Deepa Dasmunsi and KPCC chief Sunny Joseph, met Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Lok Bhavan here to hand over the letter of support.
Thereafter, Satheesan, dressed in a white ‘mundu’ (dhoti) and shawl, offered prayers at the temple, a centuries-old Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
The temple’s principal deity is Anantha Padmanabha, a form of Lord Vishnu in a reclining posture on the serpent Anantha.
Lord Padmanabhaswamy is revered as the guardian deity of the Travancore royal family.
Even the name of the state capital is derived from the temple deity and means “The Land of Lord Anantha.”