KOCHI: Congress party workers in and around Ernakulam were eagerly awaiting the final word from the high command regarding the announcement of the Congress’s chief ministerial candidate.
On Wednesday morning, as soon as they received hints that the announcement would happen soon, thousands of party workers rushed to Desom near Aluva.
The residence of the Leader of the Opposition, V D Satheesan, witnessed a huge crowd. Most of them were tired and exhausted from the crowd, the weather, and the 10-day wait for the chief ministerial decision, and all they wanted to know was this; who will be the CM? Outside the house, they discussed what was happening in the party in the past few days and watched the latest news reports on YouTube.
“Who deserves to be the CM of Kerala more than VDS? 10 years ago, the party was struggling. We didn’t have the public’s support. His work and initiatives helped the party win 102 seats. We won by-elections, local body elections, and assembly elections. We cannot forget his contributions to the growth of this party,” said Azeez Maampilly, a Congress worker from Kothamangalam. He had been waiting in front of Satheesan’s house since morning.
All throughout the day, Satheesan stayed inside his house, not coming out or greeting the party workers, his supporters who had been raising slogans for him.
As the Mallikarjun Kharge-Rahul Gandhi meeting began, tricolour flags fluttered, and they raised slogans: ‘Kerala janathayude vijayam aanu V D Satheesan’. Earlier in the day, UDF leaders, including Kalamassery MLA V E Abdul Gafoor, had met Satheesan at his residence.
“I don’t want to miss the moment of announcement and celebration. So I waited here. There are many workers like me here who are waiting to celebrate the moment VDS becomes the CM,” he added. Though hours passed and the high command decided to announce the CM only on Thursday, the workers stayed back. Ernakulam DCC president Mohammed Shiyas and other leaders urged party workers to leave, but they were unwilling to do so. All they wanted was to meet Satheesan.
For an ordinary party worker, Satheesan is not just a leader from their district but also a visionary who brought the party back to power.
“The party had failed at the grassroots level. He gave directions and guidance and led the party from the front. He never worked to create his own group within the party. That is why kids, youngsters, and leaders cheer for him,” says Shaija, a Congress worker from Eloor. She had arrived in Desom with her friends to meet her leader, as they were anticipating the announcement.
As they left Satheesan’s residence late in the night, they told each other, ‘See you the next day,’ with the hope that they would get a new CM.
