The UDF secured a commanding 102 seats in the 140-member Kerala Assembly, while the LDF was reduced to 35 seats. The BJP-led NDA managed to win three seats.
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The decision on the Chief Minister comes after the party high command closely weighed a three-way contest between senior leaders, each bringing strong organisational and electoral credentials to the table.
Satheesan was always considered the frontrunner in the race and is the former Leader of Opposition. A seasoned Congress veteran, he has represented the Paravur constituency in Ernakulam since the turn of the century and is widely credited with rebuilding and revitalising the party’s organisational structure after two successive electoral setbacks.
His leadership is seen as instrumental in the UDF’s strong performances in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the 2025 local body polls, and the recent Assembly election win. He currently serves as Vice President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee.
Satheesan also played a key role in steering the UDF to victories in crucial bypolls, including Thrikkakara, Puthuppally and Nilambur, helping sustain the alliance’s political momentum ahead of the Assembly elections.Both inside and outside the Assembly, he has been one of the most vocal critics of the LDF government and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, especially on governance and administrative shortcomings, firmly establishing himself as the principal face of the Opposition.
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He has also earned a reputation for decisiveness during internal party challenges. In the Rahul Mamkootathil controversy, his firm push for expulsion was widely viewed as a demonstration of strong organisational discipline and leadership resolve.
Who were the other contenders?
KC Venugopal: The high command insider with national clout
One of the two other names in contention was AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, one of the Congress party’s most influential organisational figures at the national level. Media reported that Venugopal was also being backed my the majority of MLAs of the UDF.
He is currently the Member of Parliament from Alappuzha, a seat he has represented three times, and earlier served as MLA from the same constituency for 13 consecutive years.
Within Parliament, Venugopal is among the Congress’s most prominent faces in the Lok Sabha and currently chairs the Public Accounts Committee. He has also served as Minister of State in two separate ministries during the Second Manmohan Singh government.
However, his elevation to Chief Minister would come with a significant political complication, as it would require him to vacate his Lok Sabha seat and trigger a bypoll. Party guidelines have also generally discouraged MPs from contesting Assembly elections.
At the same time, Venugopal carries a distinct advantage—his close proximity to Rahul Gandhi and his strong standing within the party high command, which keeps him firmly in the centre of the leadership calculus.
After the decision, Venugopal congratulated Satheesan while adding that he is always a Congress man and was happy that the Congress was forming a government in the state, shrugging off any rumours pertaining to internal rift.
Ramesh Chennithala: The veteran strategist with deep roots
The second key contender was former Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, whose long political career has been central to the Congress organisation in Kerala.
Far more than a former Opposition leader, Chennithala has been a key architect of the party’s organisational strength in the state. He is a four-time Member of Parliament, having won three terms from Kottayam in the 1990s and later from Mavelikara.
His Assembly record is equally formidable. He first won the Haripad seat in Alappuzha in the 1980s and has retained it across six victories, never losing from the constituency.
He made history early in his career by becoming the youngest minister in the state at the age of 28, marking a rapid ascent in Kerala politics.
He served as Minister for Rural Development in the Third K. Karunakaran ministry from 1986 to 1987, gaining early administrative experience.
After a long stint in national politics as an MP, he returned to Kerala politics in 2005, later going on to serve as president of the state Congress Party.
In the Second Oommen Chandy ministry, he handled the Home and Vigilance portfolio from 2014 to 2016, one of the most sensitive and high-profile responsibilities in the cabinet.
Following the 2016 Assembly elections, he took over as Leader of the Opposition, continuing to play a central role in shaping the state’s political discourse.
