V D Satheesan to lead Kerala; swearing-in ceremony at Central Stadium

NEW DELHI: After eleven days of intense discussion and uncertainty, V.D. Satheesan has emerged as the Chief Minister of Kerala. The Congress high command reached a consensus on his name, recognising the potential consequences of ignoring public sentiment.

Rahul Gandhi persuaded K.C. Venugopal, who had staked his claim until the very last moment, to step aside. Although Ramesh Chennithala has accepted the decision, he remains dissatisfied and did not attend the legislative party meeting, choosing to visit the Guruvayur temple instead. However, he sent a letter through fellow MLAs expressing his support for Satheesan, and the high command is continuing efforts to appease him.

The swearing-in ceremony will take place at Central Stadium on Monday at 10:00 AM. Satheesan holds the position that the entire cabinet should be sworn in together, as the victory was achieved by Team UDF. Last night around 7:30 PM, Satheesan met Governor R.V. Arlekar to stake his claim to form the government, submitting letters of support from all 63 Congress MLAs and coalition partners. He informed the Governor that the list of ministers would be provided later. The Governor has invited Satheesan to form the government.

Finally conceding before Rahul

1. The national capital witnessed dramatic scenes. Although Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge had decided on Satheesan’s name on Wednesday, K.C. Venugopal remained reluctant to relinquish his claim to the Chief Minister's post. Rahul Gandhi called him to his residence yesterday morning for a two-hour discussion, accompanied by Priyanka Gandhi, after which he finally agreed. Following this, Deepa Dasmunshi announced V.D. Satheesan’s name at the AICC office at 12:00 pm
2. Due to objections raised by K.C. Venugopal, the legislative party meeting scheduled for yesterday afternoon in Thiruvananthapuram was delayed, as was the arrival of central observers Deepa Dasmunshi, Ajay Maken, and Mukul Wasnik. They arrived in the evening via a chartered flight, and the subsequent meeting unanimously elected Satheesan as the leader.
3. Rahul Gandhi had personally contacted Ramesh Chennithala over the phone to inform him of the party's decision. It is expected that Chennithala’s opposition will subside, especially given that even K.C. Venugopal, who had entered the fray for the Chief Minister post with high command support, had to withdraw. Coalition partners, including the Muslim League, were informed of the decision even before the official announcement in Delhi.