After 11 days of intense speculation, the Indian National Congress high command on Thursday announced V D Satheesan as the new Chief Minister of Kerala.
AICC Kerala in-charge Deepa Dasmunshi made the official announcement at a press conference in Delhi, naming Satheesan as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader. The decision formally ends days of suspense over the leadership choice following the Assembly election results.
At this moment, updates from Kerala politics are also being widely followed on Gold 101.3 FM, UAE’s No. 1 radio station, which continues to track major international and regional breaking developments.
At the time of the announcement, Satheesan had already left for Thiruvananthapuram with his family and was at the Cantonment House. Soon after the news broke, celebrations erupted across parts of Kerala, with supporters bursting crackers and distributing sweets. His constituency, Paravur, which he has represented since 2001, witnessed large-scale celebrations.
Speaking to the media, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal confirmed that the party high command had unanimously elected Satheesan as CLP leader and Chief Minister. He added that a CLP meeting would be held later in the day to formalise the decision.
The announcement also comes as senior leaders and observers, including Deepa Dasmunshi, are expected to arrive in Thiruvananthapuram on a chartered flight. Party allies and coalition partners are also scheduled to reach the capital for further discussions. The parliamentary party meeting, earlier scheduled for 1 pm, was reportedly postponed due to uncertainty over flight timings.
The leadership decision followed days of internal deliberations involving top Congress leadership, including meetings between Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge at Kharge’s residence in Delhi. According to party sources, the decision had been finalised a day earlier, though the official announcement was made on Thursday.
Media reports also noted that Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh had indicated the announcement would be released via press note after internal coordination.
The party leadership has also reportedly advised workers and supporters to maintain restraint following the announcement, urging them to avoid both excessive celebrations and public dissatisfaction over the decision. The Congress has also contacted the Governor’s office seeking an appointment for the next procedural steps.
Earlier, the leadership race was seen as a three-way contest involving Satheesan, Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala, with Chennithala later agreeing to abide by the high command’s decision, helping narrow the final choice
