Kerala’s New King: The Man Who Crossed Every Storm to Reach Thiruvananthapuram

Tomorrow morning, May 18, 2026, at the Thiruvananthapuram Central Stadium, a man born in a modest home in Nettoor, Ernakulam, will place his hand on the Constitution and become the 13th Chief Minister of Kerala. Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka, Mallikarjun Kharge, Tamil Nadu’s new Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, Karnataka’s Siddaramaiah, Telangana’s Revanth Reddy — the INDIA Alliance’s finest will be in the audience. But make no mistake. This is not their moment. This is VD Satheeshan‘s moment. And he earned it the hard way.

The Man Behind the Title

Satheesan Damodara Menon Vadasseri was born on 31 May 1964 in Nettoor, Kerala, into a Nair family. He completed his primary schooling at Panangad High School, earned a BA in Sociology from Sacred Heart College Thevara, a Master’s in Social Work from Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, an LLB from Kerala Law Academy Law College, and an LLM from Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. He then spent nearly a decade practising law at the Kerala High Court before walking into full-time politics — a man trained in argument, logic, and evidence. Everything about his life prepared him for the floor of the Assembly.

His first legislative contest was in 1996 from Paravur, then a communist stronghold. He lost narrowly to CPI’s P. Raju. A lesser man would have walked away. Satheeshan came back in 2001 and won. He never lost again. He won six consecutive elections from Paravur — in 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021, and 2026. The man turned a Red fortress into his personal fiefdom, one election at a time.

His political breakthrough came in May 2021 when the Congress Working Committee declared him Leader of the Opposition — an appointment that was widely unexpected since he had no prior ministerial experience. He had previously been denied ministerial positions, reportedly due to strained relationships with powerful communitarian and communal lobbies. But in the Opposition chair, VD Satheeshan became lethal. He tore into Pinarayi Vijayan’s government every single session. He became Kerala’s most-watched politician. In the 2026 Kerala Assembly election, he contested from Paravur and secured 78,658 votes, defeating CPI’s E T Taison by 20,600 votes. The UDF won 102 of 140 seats. Decade-long LDF rule ended.

The Backstage War Nobody Talks About

Then came the real battle — not against the Left, but inside Congress.

Three names circled the CM post: VD Satheeshan, KC Venugopal, and Ramesh Chennithala. What followed was twelve days of raw political warfare. Both Venugopal and Chennithala, who had lost out in the CM race, were expected to aggressively push for their loyalists in the cabinet. KC Venugopal had played kingmaker during candidate selection — many sitting MLAs owe their tickets to him, and their loyalty followed. He walked into the post-election period with a visible bloc of winners behind him. Satheeshan had no such group. What he had was clarity, record, and the intelligence to make his case directly to Delhi. He laid out before Rahul Gandhi and Kharge exactly how the MLA bloc was being mobilised toward KC — and why that was not the public verdict. Gandhi’s family understood. The people had watched VD debate, challenge, and expose the LDF for five years. They voted for UDF because of him. His name was finalised after discussions involving the Congress central leadership in New Delhi; several senior leaders including KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala were also considered before the party backed Satheesan.

The high command chose the man, not the machine.

Ramesh Chennithala took it badly. Sources confirmed he did not attend the first UDF meeting after Satheeshan’s appointment, citing a personal visit. He drove to Guruvayoor temple. There were whispers he would resign his MLA seat. Satheeshan moved fast — acknowledged Chennithala as a senior leader, said Kerala needed him in the cabinet, and offered him the Home and Vigilance portfolios. After days of internal negotiations, the Congress leadership persuaded Chennithala to accept the Home and Vigilance portfolios. Chennithala, who had been overlooked for the Chief Minister’s post, had reportedly expressed dissatisfaction over the arrangement. The crisis was sealed — but the scars remain.

The Cabinet: 20 Ministers Who Will Define or Derail VD

The 20 ministers are: PK Kunhalikutty, Ramesh Chennithala, Sunny Joseph, K Muraleedharan, Mons Joseph, Shibu Baby John, Anoop Jacob, CP John, AP Anil Kumar, N Shamsudeen, PC Vishnunadh, Roji M John, Bindu Krishna, M Liju, KM Shaji, PK Basheer, VE Abdul Gafoor, T Siddique, KA Thulasi, and OJ Janeesh.

Look carefully at that list. It is said that Venugopal is determined to get berths for as many of his loyalists as possible. KPCC working presidents AP Anil Kumar and PC Vishnunadh, close aides of Venugopal, are among those in ministerial roles. These are KC’s men, now sitting in Satheeshan’s cabinet, carrying KC’s agenda into the corridors of power. VD enters Cliff House with a fractured house from Day One.

The IUML Factor: Five Seats, Real Power

The Muslim League declared the names of its five ministers: PK Kunhalikutty, N Shamsudeen, KM Shaji, PK Basheer, and VE Abdul Gafoor. IUML won 22 seats — the second largest bloc in UDF. Five ministers is their due. PK Kunhalikutty is likely to handle the Industries and IT portfolios. Other departments expected to go to IUML include Education, Public Works, Local Self-Government and Urban Affairs. That is serious portfolio weight. IUML is not a silent partner here — it will drive policy in ministries that touch every Keralite daily.

The Road Ahead

VD Satheeshan is 61 years old, a man who for much of his political life was viewed as capable but perpetually close to power without fully reaching it. Tomorrow he reaches it. But he leads a cabinet shaped as much by KC Venugopal’s negotiations as by his own vision. Chennithala holds Home — the most powerful ministry after the CM’s chair. The IUML holds five departments. And Satheeshan’s own loyalists are underrepresented.

The man crossed water to get here. Whether he swims or sinks will be determined not in Thiruvananthapuram tomorrow, but in the cabinet room the morning after.

Kerala is watching. So is Delhi.

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