VD Satheesan Declared Kerala Chief Ministerial Candidate After High-Level Congress Deliberations in New Delhi

The final decision was preceded by a crucial meeting chaired by Mallikarjun Kharge, during which detailed deliberations were held with AICC General Secretary in charge Deepa Dasmunsi, along with senior observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik. The trio had recently conducted extensive consultations with all newly elected Members of the Legislative Assembly to understand their perspectives and internal sentiment regarding leadership selection.

The announcement also comes against the backdrop of continued discussions within the Congress leadership following the Kerala Assembly election results, which were declared on May 4. Despite the passage of ten days since the results, the party had not finalized its Chief Ministerial face until the latest decision was reached through internal consensus-building exercises.

The leadership consultations intensified further when Rahul Gandhi held a 30-minute meeting with Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday evening, during which the issue of the Chief Ministerial candidate was discussed in detail. This was followed by another key engagement on Thursday morning when Rahul Gandhi met AICC General Secretary K. C. Venugopal, further consolidating the party’s position ahead of the official announcement.

With VD Satheesan’s name now officially declared, the Congress Party has concluded a closely watched internal selection process that involved multiple layers of consultation between top leadership, organizational managers, and elected representatives, marking a decisive step in defining the party’s leadership strategy in Kerala.