Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala chief minister-designate V.D. Satheesan held back-to-back meetings with Congress leaders, party allies and political opponents as the UDF moved to finalise a 21-member cabinet ahead of Monday’s swearing-in ceremony.
On Friday, Satheesan met senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala—one of the contenders for the chief ministerial post — in Thiruvananthapuram, seeking his support in finalising the cabinet lineup. On Saturday, he met K.C. Venugopal, the other senior rival for the post, who arrived in the city the same day.
Parallel consultations with UDF allies are under way ahead of Monday’s ceremony, which is expected to draw newly elected Tamil Nadu CM and TVK’s Vijay along with his predecessor M.K. Stalin. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, and senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are expected to attend too.
Speaking to reporters, Satheesan downplayed reports of friction with Venugopal, underscoring his centrality to the party’s organisational machinery. “He is the AICC general secretary in charge of organisation and the person through whom approvals from the Congress president and leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, are processed. We will speak with him,” the CM-designate said.
Dismissing reports of rivalry, Satheesan invoked a shared college history. “During our student politics days, we all studied in the same college, studied in the same college, and shared the friendship. Back when the A.K. Antony cabinet was there, the moment Shri AK Antony saw us, he would say, ‘Here come the great friends’,” he said.
Venugopal was equally conciliatory, saying all of them were committed Congress workers and discussions over the chief ministership had no relevance now.
Several Congress functionaries told ThePrint that both Chennithala and Venugopal were disappointed with the high command’s decision to pick Satheesan, while privately acknowledging his strong public support. Both denied this in public, pledging to stand by the leadership’s decision.
On Friday, Satheesan also met outgoing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who has been appointed Leader of the Opposition by the CPI(M) following the party’s state secretariat meeting. The same day, the CM-designate visited the wife of late Congress leader G. Karthikeyan, his political mentor. Visuals of an emotional Satheesan were circulated widely online.
Satheesan on Saturday met UDF alliance partners IUML and Kerala Congress (Joseph) to advance cabinet talks. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph said discussions on the cabinet had begun and the final list of Congress ministers was likely to be finalised by Saturday.
The 61-year-old MLA from Paravur in Ernakulam district has outlined early priorities that include developing Kerala into a major port hub, establishing a “job watch tower” to match employment opportunities to evolving global standards, and rolling out the five ‘Indira Guarantees’ laid out in the Congress’s poll manifesto. These included Rs 3,000 welfare pension and free Kerala Roadways bus travel for women.
Satheesan also announced a series of measures to project an accessible administration. His official convoy will be capped at three vehicles, roads will not be blocked for his movement, and sirens will not be used to clear traffic. He added that Cliff House, the chief minister’s official residence, would see no expensive renovations or luxury modifications.
An AICC leader told ThePrint that the Congress high command had “played it safe” by selecting Satheesan given the strong public and social media support in his favour, adding that it is now up to him to earn the confidence of Congress MLAs, party leaders, and the wider public.
The Congress-led UDF won 102 out of 140 assembly seats in Kerala, denying the Left LDF government a third consecutive term in the coastal state.
Also Read: 5 reasons Congress finally chose Satheesan as Kerala CM, and why ‘Delhi man’ Venugopal lost out