Congress Names VD Satheesan as Chief Minister of Kerala After Nine-Day Deadlock

Congress' CM pick for Kerala, VD Satheesan , on Thursday thanked the party high command for giving him such a "huge responsibility". Satheesan, speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, also thanked Congress general secretary KC Venugopal for coordinating the AICC efforts and supporting all party activities, which helped it achieve a huge victory in the assembly polls in the state. He also thanked senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who worked as the campaign committee chairman, for his role in the party's win, saying "he is my leader also". Satheesan said that he will take both of them into his confidence going forward. The decision came after a nine-day deadlock involving a fierce three-way contest among senior leaders VD Satheesan , Ramesh Chennithala and AICC General Secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal . Satheesan also thanked the lakhs of party workers and the UDF coalition partners for helping him achieve the post of chief minister, which he termed as "a divine gift". Satheesan said the party will work to deliver on the promises made to the public and to improve their standard of living. The announcement naming Satheesan as the chief minister was made by AICC state in-charge Deepa Das Munshi in the capital, along with AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh, observers Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken, among others.