File photo of Kerala CM-designate V.D. Satheesan.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
V.D. Satheesan has emerged as the unquestionable leader of Kerala. He has proved that he is no longer dependent on the Congress; it is the Congress that is dependent on him. In the immediate term, this will mean that Congress MLAs and Ministers will have little consequence or influence. In the medium term, how his singular command over the mass politics of Kerala will play out will depend on several factors. Now that he has established that the High Command is dependent on his largesse for its own personal Lok Sabha seat in Kerala — Wayanad — the order of precedence within the Congress hierarchy has changed forever. He might continue to pay the tributes and play the act of discipline, only as long as it is convenient for him.It is one thing to say that he is the leader of Malayali masses; but a bit of unpacking of that reveals the community dynamics at play. The Congress suffered in the 2021 Assembly election, among other reasons, due to a rift between the Christians and the Muslims, and within each community. A considerable section of both communities drifted away from the Congress and the UDF, which helped Pinarayi Vijayan win an unusual second consecutive term in the State. Mr. Vijayan’s politics catalysed this social dynamic. Mr Vijayan, while undoubtedly secular, catered to Hindu sentiments in this election, even presiding over a state-sponsored congregation of the Sabarimala Ayyappa devotees, while Mr. Satheesan - appointed Leader of Opposition after the UDF loss in 2021 — restored the minorities back to the Congress and the UDF, and how. Mr. Satheesan is now the unquestionable leader of the Kerala Muslims and Christians, who together constitute around half of the State’s population. Over the last five years, his carefully crafted political positions — which he can forcefully articulate with clarity and punch — were amplified by an outstanding reel factory that engineered the collective psyche of Kerala like nobody has achieved in the State’s history. When he took over as LoP in 2021, most observers were sceptical. Unlike K.C. Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala, and the leaders before them such as K. Karunakaran, A.K. Antony and Oommen Chandy, whose networks spread across the State, Mr. Satheesan’s influence was limited to Ernakulam district. He overcame that limitation through the magic of social media. Even today he has limited personal connections with party leaders in the State, but he has bonded with the commoners who are now forcing the hands of MLAs and party functionaries to fall in line behind the new CM-in-waiting. Published - May 15, 2026 01:16 pm IST
