VD Satheesan

NEW DELHI: Congress has picked VD Satheesan for the post of Kerala chief minister on Thursday. The announcement came more than a week after the Congress-led United Democratic Front swept back to power in Kerala, ending the second consecutive term of the Left Democratic Front-led by Pinarayi Vijayan.The decision was finalised by the Congress leadership after discussions within the party’s top brass, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. The chosen name reportedly edged past veteran leader KC Venugopal and was preferred over grassroots leader V D Satheesan.The landslide mandate in favour of the UDF came on May 4, reflecting a clear shift in public support towards the Congress-led alliance and a change from the Left Democratic Front government.The name was picked after days of intense backroom consultations in Thiruvananthapuram and New Delhi, with the Congress high command weighing competing claims from three senior leaders, VD Satheesan, KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala.The delay become a political story in itself in the last few days. The Congress-led UDF secured a decisive mandate on May 4, winning 102 of Kerala’s 140 seats, with the Congress emerging as the single largest party in the alliance with 63 seats.