‘KC Venugopal using his clout’: What VD Satheesan told Rahul Gandhi before being picked Kerala CM

What worked for Satheesan, the leader of opposition of the outgoing Kerala legislative assembly, was the support from the allies of Congress under UDF.

Updated on: May 15, 2026, 13:57:27 IST

Reported by Saubhadra Chatterji | Edited by Nikita Sharma

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Congress on Thursday announced VD Satheesan as its pick to be Kerala's chief minister over its senior leader and member of Parliament KC Venugopal, who was the preferred choice for the party's high-command. Even when chances for Satheesan were looking dim, he refused to back down from the fight for the top job and reminded the party leadership of the role he played in reviving Congress-led United Democratic Front's (UDF) foothold in the state.

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In behind the scenes of how the new Kerala chief minister was picked after Congress' thumping victory in the state, KC Venugopal had a clear advantage - “overwhelming support" of party legislators, parliamentarians and other senior leaders. However, Satheesan told Rahul Gandhi during their meeting on May 10 that Venugopal, party's general secretary (organisation), was using his clout as a key figure in the party structure, Hindustan Times reported earlier.

Also read: How VD Satheesan edged out KC Venugopal for Kerala’s top post

Satheesan also reminded Gandhi that it was he who kept the party and its allies going strong in the state legislative assembly after they lost in 2021.

‘Became the face of the UDF’

What worked for Satheesan, the leader of opposition of the outgoing Kerala legislative assembly who was fighting for his due, was the support he garnered from the allies of Congress under UDF.

NK Premachandran, Revolutionary Socialist Party (a member of UDF) MP told HT that “all UDF constituents wanted Satheesan”.

He said that Satheesan became the face of the alliance as the leader of opposition and raised key issues in the assembly.

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“Last five years he fought like a leader and became the face of the UDF. He was innovative and didn’t join any group but had a strong stand on political issues. His focus was on development, health and higher education,” he said.

Another key UDF member, Indian Union Muslim League’s (IUML), also rallied behind Satheesan and even credited him for the alliance's win in the state.

“We told the Congress to take into account the public sentiments and how UDF supporters might react. We have also said a leader who has mass support should be made the CM,” said IUML leader ET Mohammed Basheer.

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Additionally, when Congress started mulling on who to pick for Kerala's CM pick, public anger in the state came out in open as warring factions of the party took out protests to support their preferred leaders. This helped the party leadership realise that Satheesan enjoyed more support on the ground.

Another key contender in the CM race, Ramesh Chennithala, dropped out of it a week before the party made the announcement.

After being picked to lead the state for the next five years, Satheesan credited Venugopal and Chennithala for the big victory in the state. Venugopal also congratulated him for being selected for the state' top job.

Congress-led UDF won in Kerala assembly elections with 104 seats out of 140 by defeating CPI(M)-led LDF after a decade.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nikita Sharma
Nikita Sharma is a Senior Content Producer with Hindustan Times. She is a Delhi-based digital journalist with five years of experience writing and editing news stories across beats including crime, politics, tech, trends and much more, both national and international. At Hindustan Times, she is part of the news team and focuses on breaking news, keeping a track of what is happening where, and chasing ever-developing news stories. She has a penchant for covering crime, geopolitics, and Indian politics with a keen eye for stories often overlooked in the daily news cycle. At Hindustan Times, she has extensively covered several key events including the US Presidential elections, Air India plane crash, Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, US’ tariff war, and others. As a Delhi aficionado, she particularly enjoys roaming and writing about the national capital — its heritage, food, art and culture, and the many problems that come with it — the pollution, waterlogging, traffic, and more. Nikita did her Bachelor in Journalism and Mass Communication from GGSIPU and started working as a digital journalist in 2021. During her first stint, she covered hyperlocal news at a Delhi-based newsroom, writing and editing stories on builder-buyer conflicts, civic issues such as potholes, waterlogging, lack of facilities at hospitals in Delhi, crippling of the city during peak monsoon season. She also wrote features covering Delhi’s art exhibitions, heritage walks, artist profiles, museums, classical Hindustani music concerts and dance shows. She entered mainstream news in 2023 and has previously worked at NDTV.Read More

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