V.D. Satheesan Named New Keralam Chief Minister as Congress-Led UDF Returns to Power with Landslide Win

New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: Ending over 10 days of suspense, the Congress on Thursday officially announced that V.D. Satheesan, whose leadership helped the UDF alliance sweep back to power in Keralam, has been appointed as the chief minister.

The six-time MLA from Peravoor, Vadassery Damodaran Satheesan, who turns 62 at the end of this month, had steered the United Democratic Front's (UDF) landslide victory in the 2026 Assembly elections, where the alliance secured a thumping 102 seats in the 140-member house.

In his first response after the announcement, which comes after the declaration of the State Assembly results on May 4, Satheesan said, "I express sincere gratitude to my party, the AICC leadership."

"I am humbled by the trust placed in me by the party and the people. They entrusted me with a huge responsibility, and I am very thankful to team UDF and the workers. I dedicate my CM-ship to the people of Kerala. We have promised many things, and I think we can build a team that can change Keralam."

"This victory belongs to the grassroots workers who stood by us when we were in the wilderness," Satheesan told reporters, adding that "all AICC leaders called me and congratulated me."

Further, he pledged to usher in a "new era, a new Kerala" focusing on transforming the state's economic landscape and addressing its debt crisis.

"It will be a new era, a new Kerala that is our target; we are going through tough times, the fiscal situation of Kerala is vulnerable, and we are hopeful of change," Satheesan said.

A lawyer by profession, he had entered politics in 1996 and gradually built a reputation with his combative style and hard-hitting speeches. Active in student politics at the Mahatma Gandhi University, he served as secretary of the National Students' Union of India. He also held various responsibilities in the party and served as Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) vice president and All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary. (ANI)

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