THE Congress seems to have got so used to losing elections that it struggles to be decisive after it actually wins. The remarkable victory in Kerala was the face-saver for the party in the recent Assembly elections. Yet, the Congress took no less than 10 days to appoint VD Satheesan as the chief minister. It’s true that the high command was spoilt for choice — experienced leaders such as KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala were also in contention for the top post — but the inordinate delay in naming the CM exposed the Congress’ familiar struggle with internal consensus-building.
In choosing Satheesan, the party appears to have rewarded political performance over hierarchy. Over the past five years, he emerged as one of Kerala’s most prominent Opposition voices, consistently challenging the Left government on corruption and misgovernance. His sharp legislative interventions and energetic campaigning helped revitalise the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) after its 2021 defeat. More importantly, he succeeded in projecting a younger and more assertive image of the party in the southern state.
Venugopal, who is close to Rahul Gandhi, has “humbly accepted” the top brass’ decision, which aims to balance the party’s state and national interests. His continued organisational role at the central level is vital for the Congress in view of the 2027-28 Assembly elections and the 2029 Lok Sabha polls. The party will expect Venugopal and Chennithala to provide tangible support to Satheesan, who has his work cut out. The new government must address youth unemployment (which prevails despite a high literacy rate), rising debt, infrastructure concerns and social welfare expectations, while maintaining unity among UDF allies. The Congress should make the most of this opportunity to assert its southern dominance through good governance.
