This is how VD Satishan traveled from lawyer to CM’s chair, became a mass leader by defeating Congress stalwarts.

Thiruvananthapuram. Vadassery Damodar Menon Satheesan was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Kerala on Monday. Satheesan, a lawyer-turned-politician from Kochi, made his mark in the Congress on the strength of his sharp speeches and organizational discipline. Known for his restrained public behavior and aggressive attacks on the Left government within the Assembly, V D Satheesan is fondly called ‘VD’ or ‘VDS’ by his supporters. After being made the leader of opposition in the state assembly five years ago, Satheesan played a key role in reinvigorating the Congress party in Kerala. As leader of the opposition, Satheesan led the Congress towards younger leadership and a more energetic election campaign while taking on the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government on a number of issues, including alleged nepotism and financial irregularities.

Read:- Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s two-day visit to Rae Bareli and Amethi from tomorrow, will give edge to Mission 2027

He led the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) to power in the assembly elections held on April 9. With this, UDF again came to power in Kerala after a decade. Supporters consider him a pragmatic and approachable leader, while critics say his biggest challenge will be to strike a balance between development and the welfare promises made during the election campaign.

Satheesan, 61, represents the Paravur seat near Kochi in the state assembly. The Congress high command selected Satheesan for the post of Chief Minister keeping in mind his performance as the leader of the opposition in the Kerala Assembly. During this, he prominently raised allegations of corruption, law and order problems and the financial crisis of the state and several times directly targeted Chief Minister Vijayan.

Satheesan has never been a minister before, but his colleagues describe him as a disciplined and media-savvy leader. At the same time, his critics within the Congress say that his centralized working style has at times angered the senior leaders of the party which is struggling with factionalism. Satheesan is also credited with bringing forward young faces in the Congress organization and projecting a cleaner and modern image of the opposition alliance.

During the assembly election campaign, he Karunakaran, A. Of. After veteran leaders like Antony and Oommen Chandy, he emerged as a big mass leader of Congress. His popularity was clearly visible when senior leader K.C. Thousands of supporters took to the streets amid reports that Venugopal’s name was also being considered.

Read :- V.D. Satheesan will now represent the voice of every Keralite, this victory is for every UDF worker and digital warrior: Rahul Gandhi

Just before the Kerala Assembly elections, Satheesan had said that he would go into ‘political exile’ if the Congress-led UDF failed to get a clear majority. He had confidently said that the UDF would cross the 100 seat mark and his claim was proved correct with the alliance’s strong performance in the election results.

According to many workers of Kerala Congress, the foundation of this victory was laid in the difficult period after the defeat in the 2021 assembly elections, when Rahul Gandhi supported making Satheesan the leader of the opposition. What was considered a risky decision at that time is now being seen as a turning point within the party.

His strategy of being consistently active at the grassroots level and focusing on local issues reinvigorated the confidence of both the organization and the voters. During this time he was met by prominent Hindu caste leaders – Vellappalli Natesan, leader of the numerically dominant Ezhava community, and G., leader of his own community organisation, the NSS. Sukumaran Nair also had to face opposition.

Satheesan, who emerged from student politics and became one of the most vocal opposition leaders of Kerala, has carved a niche for himself by combining legal understanding and political strategy. Born in Nettur in Ernakulam district, Satheesan’s political journey began from the college campus. That S. He was active in student politics at H. College, Thevara and later at Mahatma Gandhi University, where he held several important student leadership positions. His activism in the National Students Union of India (NSUI) strengthened his position in the Congress.

Satheesan, a practicing lawyer in the Kerala High Court, entered electoral politics from the Paravur seat in the mid-1990s. He lost his first election, but bounced back by winning the next time and has retained the seat in several consecutive elections since then. Former Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader K. Satheesan, considered close to Karunakaran, was elected MLA consecutively in 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021. He won the 2021 assembly elections by a margin of 21,301 votes.

Read:- PM Modi congratulated VD Satheesan on taking oath as Kerala CM, said- assured the Kerala government of all possible support from the Centre.

In the Congress organization, he has also held important positions like Secretary of All India Congress Committee (AICC) and Vice President of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). Satheesan also came into limelight through discussions and interventions in the Assembly. His famous debate with former Finance Minister T. M. Thomas Isaac on the interstate lottery issue further cemented his image as a leader focused on policy issues.

Under his leadership the UDF performed better in several elections, including victories in by-elections and a strong performance in the Lok Sabha elections in Kerala. Supporters give credit for the alliance’s better performance in local body elections also to its teamwork-based leadership.