After securing a splendid victory in the Kerala assembly election, the Congress took 10 days to zero in on its chief minister pick. It was a tough competition among three contenders—K C Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan, the junior-most among the three. Satheesan was competing with two leaders with bigger clout within the party and better track record in administration. Not many thought he had a chance. Especially against Venugopal, who had the ears of the Congress first family and the majority support of party legislators. Yet, Satheesan didn’t give up, put forth arguments in his favour and kept himself in contention throughout.
That is Satheesan. Unapologetically ambitious, unreasonably brave and unyieldingly tenacious. That is the fighting spirit he displayed while taking on the Pinarayi Vijayan government in the last five years as the leader of the opposition and in the election that followed. And, he succeeded.
Taking on a government entrenched for a decade, backed by a disciplined and well-oiled political machine, was a daunting task. Yet, Satheesan chose the frontline when many in his own camp preferred the safety of the shadows.
Even while leading the alliance in the election, he staked his all — his political career, credibility and resources. He famously declared that he would go into exile if he failed to deliver a decisive victory, expressed confidence that the alliance would win at least 100 seats, and predicted the defeat of at least a dozen ministers.
It was a political gamble and Satheesan was bold enough to take it. His willingness to take the fight to the opposition was what earned him people’s support, which ultimately prompted the party to decide in his favour.
That the gamble paid off is the reason why he will take charge as the 13th chief minister of Kerala on Monday. A defeat, on the other hand, would likely have pushed the 61-year-old lawyer and five-time MLA into political obscurity.
Born into a middle-class Nair family in suburban Nettoor, Vadasseri Damodaran Satheesan learned politics the hard way. His grounding came through the rough-and-tumble of student politics. During 1986-87, he was elected chairman of the Mahatma Gandhi University students union as a candidate of the Congress’ student wing KSU. He later served in the National Students’ Union and steadily rose through the ranks of the Youth Congress.
After completing his postgraduation in law, Satheesan briefly balanced legal practice and politics before contesting his maiden Assembly election from Paravur in 1996. He lost narrowly, but stayed rooted in the constituency and has represented Paravur continuously since 2001.
Satheesan was chosen as Leader of the Opposition in 2021 even though Chennithala, then LoP, reportedly enjoyed greater numerical backing within the party. The timing could hardly have been worse. The LDF had just rewritten Kerala’s political script by winning consecutive terms for the first time in four decades.
Satheesan transformed opposition politics into an aggressive craft. Against Vijayan’s carefully cultivated “Captain” image and formidable PR machinery, he chose research over rhetoric and data over spectacle. He wielded assembly rules like weapons and policy papers like ammunition. Sharp, articulate, camera-friendly and quick on the draw, Satheesan projected a political agility that sharply contrasted with Vijayan’s guarded and austere style.
But, now comes his harder test. Being an effective critic will no longer be enough. Kerala wants a governing blueprint, not merely a catalogue of accusations.
Satheesan must retain the UDF’s minority support base while also preventing Hindu votes from drifting further towards the BJP. Ten years of anti-incumbency against the LDF may buy him a short political honeymoon.