Congress leader KC Venugopal on Thursday publicly backed the party leadership’s decision to appoint VD Satheesan as Kerala’s next Chief Minister, asserting that he fully accepts and “wholeheartedly welcomes” the decision despite being one of the frontrunners for the top post. He stressed that the party and its workers remain supreme to him.
“The party leadership has taken the decision after considering every single fact. There is no doubt about it,” Venugopal said immediately after the Congress’s announcement, adding that he “wholeheartedly welcomes the decision”.
“The final decision has come, and the Congress high command has decided on VD Satheesan as the Chief Ministerial candidate for the Kerala government. I wholeheartedly welcome that decision. I congratulate VD Satheesan on this position,” he said.
On the party’s decision to drop his name in favour of Satheesan, Venugopal said, “The party is everything to me. If workers are pained, so am I.” On the factional war the party has witnessed over the past few days, he repeated, “Those who attack me can continue. My position is that the party is supreme.”
Venugopal did not contest the April 9 Assembly polls. However, he emerged as a strong contender for the top post, with a section of party cadres rallying behind him and several senior leaders backing his elevation.
He thanked the people of Kerala for giving a big verdict in favour of the UDF, adding, “The government under the leadership of VD Satheesan can fulfil the aspirations and promises made to the people of Kerala. Certainly, we are totally behind the government of Kerala.”
Going forward, there will not be any issues within the Congress, he said.
Meanwhile, Satheesan thanked KC Venugopal for his work, saying it was he who coordinated the AICC’s election efforts both at the national level and in Kerala.
“This is not a personal victory. It was the AICC that contributed the most to this victory, and the AICC’s activities here were coordinated on a daily basis by KC Venugopal. He was involved in everything,” he said.
The Congress on Thursday picked VD Satheesan as the Chief Minister of Kerala over KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala after intense deliberations over the past 10 days. While Venugopal reportedly enjoyed the backing of a majority of the newly elected Congress MLAs, the party leadership ultimately chose Satheesan, who enjoys strong public support and is widely seen as the architect of the UDF’s 102-seat victory in the state.
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Published On:
May 14, 2026 12:51 IST
