VD Satheeshan it is. The Congress’ Kerala Chief Minister suspense is over. The 61-year-old, former leader of opposition in the state assembly, is Congress’ pick, beating competition from KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala.
KC Venugopal, seen as Rahul Gandhi’s No. 2 in the party and a contender for the top post, expressed confidence with the party’s decision.
“I am fully satisfied. I will stand with the high command decision,” Venugopal, MP from Alappuzha, said after the announcement was made in favour of Satheeshan.
The delay in Kerala over the Chief Minister’s choice was reminiscent of the situation in Karnataka, where the top post became a tug-of-war between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, leading to unending friction between the two and their supporters.
VD Satheesan, who is the choice of the people as well as the Congress’s Kerala ally and UDF constituent IUML (Indian Union Muslim League), was not ready to accept a secondary role, sources close to him told NDTV.
The announcement comes 10 days after Congress-led United Democratic Front, or UDF, emerged the winner in Kerala polls. Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democractic Front, or LDF, missed out on a hat-trick of poll wins in the state.
