Keralam witnessed a strong mandate in favour of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the recently concluded Assembly elections. However, the fact that it took nine days for the Congress party to zero in on and announce the chief ministerial pick just as well demonstrates the bickering for power and the factional feuds deeply ensconced within the grand old party. But good sense prevailed in the end, and the party settled on VD Satheesan. Of the three who were in the race for the CM's post — KC Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala and VD Satheesan — the party appears to have made the best pick. Beyond factional feuds, Satheesan is someone who enjoys the support of a wider section of the people.
For one, according to Rejimon Kuttappan, an independent journalist, Satheesan is someone who, as the Leader of the Opposition, has been on the ground during the last five years fighting against the "anti-people" stance of the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front government spearheaded by Pinarayi Vijayan. For instance, he met ASHA workers who were on a prolonged protest demanding better wages, retirement benefits and recognition as government employees, and expressed solidarity with them.
"I don't think he will repeat the same mistakes the Pinarayi Vijayan government committed," he noted.
He, however, said that the Congress party could have averted the delay in announcing the CM pick and thereby avoided a lot of problems faced by the common people. In Tamil Nadu, for instance, Chief Minister Joseph Vijay assumed office and announced the closure of government-run TASMAC outlets. The delay in announcing the CM candidate in Kerala has created frustration among the people. If the CM candidate had been announced on time, the Kerala government could have ordered ticketless travel for women, as suggested by Rahul Gandhi, by now, Rejimon Kuttappan added. It would have helped women save a minimum of at least Rs 20 a day. This is significant considering the financial strain people have been undergoing lately, he further said.
Political commentator Roy Mathew is of the opinion that the new government faces a slew of challenges because of the financial crisis caused by the Pinarayi Vijayan government. The coffers are empty. For instance, Rs 70,000 crore is pending as dues to government contractors for works completed by them. Similarly, the government owes crores to people in every sector. In health, education and all priority sectors, Kerala is found to be lagging. What the previous LDF government was able to provide were new buildings for hospitals and schools. But despite the renovated buildings, the hospitals lack staff and other basic facilities. When it comes to education, around 85,000 seats are vacant in colleges as students are not willing to take up conventional degree courses. They instead leave the state to pursue higher education, he said.
As for the future of the CPI(M), Roy Mathew said that the party lacks the will to infuse young blood into the party leadership. Congress relatively announced a Chief Minister who is 61-years-old. But the CPI (M) has nobody else to replace the octogenarian Pinarayi Vijayan. He has been party secretary for 16 years and chief minister for 10 years. Most probably, he will end up as the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Roy Mathew added.
The BJP is showing growth in the state. It won three seats this time. The saffron party is trying strategies like Christian outreach in Kerala because of the 45 percent minority population in the state, he noted.