• Source:JND

After 10 days of landslide victory, Congress finally picked VD Satheesan as the next chief minister of Kerala on Thursday. Satheesan's election over senior leader Ramesh Chennithala and party general secretary KC Venugopal marks the end of days of lobbying and intense power struggle.

Satheesan's name was announced by All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi in New Delhi. Among the front-runners, the main fight was between Venugopal and Satheesan.

What led to Satheesan's selection

The final discussion on the name apparently took place in a 40-minute meeting between Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi.

IUML's support: One of the key factors behind Satheesan's selection for the top post was the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML)'s support for Satheesan. Congress does not have a majority on its own in the Kerala Assembly.

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In a 140-seat assembly, Congress-led UDF has 102 seats, but Congress has only 63 seats, 8 less than the majority. The second-largest party in the alliance is IUML. Soon after the declaration of results, IUML rallied behind Satheesan's leadership.

Other allies, including the Kerala Congress (Joseph) with seven members and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), also backed Satheesan.

This was in contrast to reports suggesting the majority of MLAs had put weight behind Venugopal.

Grassroot connections: Satheesan was able to make his case stronger than Venugopal using his strong grassroot connections, his contribution to Congress's rise in Kerala during his tenure as Kerala LoP.

As several newly elected MLAs rallied behind Venugopal, they faced strong protests and criticism within their constituencies. According to a report by The Indian Express, some legislators even abandoned or cut short their visit to their respective constituencies to thank voters, fearing backlash.

Poster pressure: The tug-of-war over the top post made Congress leadership in Delhi face direct pressure from Wayanad.

Posters with stern warnings were put outside district Congress offices and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's MP office.

One of the posters read, "Wayanad will be next Amethi," in an apparent warning to Priyanka Gandhi.

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Another poster read, "Mr Rahul, KC might be your bag bearer, but people of Kerala will never forgive you."

"RG and PG, Kerala will never forgive you for this blunder," the third poster read. The public messaging helped Congress leadership understand the mood of the cadre on the ground.

Bypoll factor

What went in Satheesan's favour was a complex bypoll situation that could have arisen in case of Venugopal's selection for the top post.

Venugopal is a Lok Sabha MP from Alappuzha. Making him the CM of the state would have required him to resign as MP and join the assembly through elections. This would have eventually necessitated two bypolls, an Alappuzha Lok Sabha byelection and an assembly seat byelection.

Moreover, the party would have needed to make a newly elected MLA resign within six months.


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