‘Blunder poster’ to IUML push: Three reasons why Congress picked VD Satheesan to be new Kerala CM

AFter years of hectic backchannel negotiations, factional lobbying and vivid force recreate within the us congress, the party finally picked VD Satheesan as the next chief minister of Kerala on Thursday.The announcement, made in New Delhi by AICC Kerala in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi, brought the curtain down on a bruising power struggle between Satheesan, KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala.From slogan-shouting workers on the streets of Wayanad to warning posters aimed at Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Rahul Gandhi’s 40-minute meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge – the decision for Kerala’s top post was not an easy one.1. The IUML pushOne of the biggest reasons behind Satheesan’s elevation was the backing he received from key UDF allies, especially the Indian Union Muslim League.The IUML, which has 22 legislators in the UDF camp, strongly supported Satheesan, arguing that the alliance’s sweeping victory was a validation of the political line he had pursued as leader of Opposition over the last five years.Other allies too closed ranks behind him. The Kerala Congress (Joseph), which has seven MLAs, and the Revolutionary Socialist Party with three legislators also backed Satheesan.For the Congress high command, ignoring the IUML’s position was never going to be easy. The IUML has long acted as the Congress’s organisational backbone in several parts of Kerala and played a key role in Rahul Gandhi’s landslide victories from Wayanad in 2019 and 2024, and later in Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s bypoll win from the constituency.2. Grassroots pressureIn the days after the May 4 election results, Congress workers across Kerala staged demonstrations demanding that Satheesan be made chief minister. Protesters argued that the face who led the Opposition campaign against the LDF government should also lead the new administration.In the Kerala elections, of the alliance’s 102 seats, the Congress won 63. The IUML secured 22 seats, Kerala Congress eight and the RSP three.The pressure became particularly visible in Wayanad, where posters surfaced outside district Congress offices and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s MP office warning the leadership against backing Venugopal.One of the posters read, “Mr Rahul, KC might be your bag bearer, but people of Kerala will never forgive you.”Another warned, “Wayanad will be next Amethi.”A third poster said, “RG and PG, Kerala will never forgive you for this blunder.”The public messaging reflected the mood among sections of the Congress cadre, many of whom viewed Satheesan as the leader who connected best with the party base and the broader anti-LDF sentiment in the state.3. Political realityBehind closed doors, hectic lobbying continued among camps backing Satheesan, Venugopal and Chennithala.According to a senior Congress leader, while Venugopal was the preferred choice of the Congress leadership, especially Rahul Gandhi, Satheesan garnered public support and had the backing of the party organization and allies.The final decision came after Rahul Gandhi met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for around 40 minutes on Wednesday, following which the party indicated that consultations had concluded.