VD Satheesan has been announced as the 13th Chief Minister of Keralam. The announcement was made by AICC General Secretary Deepa Das Munshi in charge of Kerala in Delhi. With this, the eagerly awaited announcement of the Chief Minister of Kerala has come to an end. The Chief Minister’s announcement is being made ten days after the election results were announced. The high command reached out to VD Satheesan after hearing directly from the former KPCC presidents, working presidents and Congress leaders in Kerala. Although KC Venugopal had the support of Congress leaders and MLAs, the high command arrived at the name of VD Satheesan based on strong public support.
VD Satheesan was the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly during 2021-26. His strong stances during this period, decisions taken from in-depth studies, and criticisms made Satheesan popular. This popularity made Satheesan’s journey to the Chief Minister’s chair comfortable. His warm relations and approaches with different communal groups in Kerala helped Satheesan in his rise to power.
Satheesan is a person who has always faced neglect in Congress politics. Although he was expected to become a minister in the Oommen Chandy cabinet in 2011, luck did not favor Satheesan. During that period, Satheesan was given the post of Assembly Speaker. But Satheesan had given up the Speaker post for his political master G Karthikeyan. Satheesan got his first cabinet post when he became the Leader of the Opposition in the Pinarayi Vijayan cabinet for the period 2021-26. Satheesan captured the public’s attention through his extensive reading, precise study of issues, and his criticisms and presentations. Satheesan’s role was crucial in taking the UDF to the magic number of 102 seats. Satheesan’s announcement that if the team wins, the credit will be given to the UDF and if it loses, the responsibility will be on him impressed everyone. The prediction that the UDF will cross a hundred seats, that half a dozen ministers will be fired, and the announcement that the UDF will go into exile if it fails were not mere rhetoric, which made people put their hopes on Satheesan.
Born in 1964 to K. Damodara Menon and Vilasini Amma. Completed his primary education from Panangad High School. He did his higher studies at Sacred Heart College, Thevara, Kerala Law Academy, and Thiruvananthapuram Law College. Entered politics through KSU. He practiced as an advocate in the Kerala High Court for ten years. His wife is R. Lakshmi Priya. His daughter is Unnimaya. Since 2001, Satheesan has represented Paravur in Ernakulam district in the Legislative Assembly.
