NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday named VD Satheesan as the next chief minister of Kerala, ending days of suspense and speculation over the post.
The decision was announced here at a press conference by AICC in-charge of Kerala Deepa Dasmunsi and the party’s central observers for the state Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik, as well as Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh.
“Based on all the discussions, it has been decided that VD Satheesan be appointed as the leader of the CLP,” Dasmunsi told reporters.
The three main contenders for the post of chief minister were Satheesan, KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala.
“The Congress Legislature Party had met in Thiruvananthapuram on May 7, 2026 and had unanimously resolved to authorise Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to appoint the new leader of the CLP in the state,” Dasmunsi said.
Accordingly, the Congress president has held extensive discussions with Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, AICC observers who had met with the newly-elected MLAs and many other leaders, including MPs, and former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs, she said.
Asked when the swearing-in will take place, Dasmunshi said she will be going to Kerala and after that it will be decided. She also brushed aside any talk of divisions within the party and said all were united.
Dasmunshi along with the two observers – Maken and Wasnik — will be going to Kerala later in the day.
Sources said after her arrival in Kerala, the Congress Legislature Party in the state would meet the Governor and stake claim for government formation. Leaders of like-minded parties are likely to attend the swearing-in of the chief minister.
The announcement came a day after former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi met Kharge for about 40 minutes, after which the party stated that all deliberations and discussions by the high command were complete.
A decision on the next Kerala chief minister had been pending since May 4 when the Congress-led UDF won 102 seats out of the 140, which is more than a two-thirds majority.
The Congress has 63 MLAs in the 140-member Kerala Assembly. Its allies Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has 22, Kerala Congress (KEC) has eight and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) three.
PTI