Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], May 15 : Keralam Chief Minister-designate VD Satheesan on Friday said the people of Kerala have sent a strong message in favour of secularism through the Assembly election verdict and asserted that attempts to spread hatred in the state would not succeed.
Addressing reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Satheesan said, "Some people are trying to start the hate campaign in Kerala. This is secular Kerala. The result of this election is a declaration of Kerala people to the entire country that our state is secular. We will keep it that way."
Responding to criticism from the BJP's Kerala unit, he said the ideological battle between the Congress and the BJP revolves around preserving secular values. "They are always trying to make hate campaigns. That is their job. Our job is to keep the secular credentials. That is the ideological fight between BJP and Congress," he said.
The remarks come a day after the Congress officially named Satheesan as the next Chief Minister of Keralam following the UDF's sweeping victory in the 2026 Assembly elections.
Satheesan is scheduled to take oath as Chief Minister on May 18 at 10 am at Lok Bhavan.
The Congress-led UDF secured a decisive mandate in the 140-member Keralam Assembly, winning 102 seats and ending the Left Democratic Front (LDF)'s decade-long rule in the state.
Earlier on Thursday, Satheesan met Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar to formally stake a claim to form the government.
The CM-designate also visited senior Congress leader V M Sudheeran to seek his blessings after being chosen to lead the new government.
Speaking to reporters, Satheesan said, "I came to seek the blessings of VM Sudheeran. He is like a mentor to me. I was fortunate to serve as Vice President when he was the President. He is someone who has the authority to scold and correct me."
Satheesan, who represented the Paravur constituency, secured his sixth consecutive Assembly victory in the 2026 polls, securing 78,658 votes and defeating CPI candidate ET Taison Master by a margin of 20,600 votes. He has represented the Paravur constituency for 25 years, having first won the seat in 2001.
A lawyer by profession, he began his political journey through the Kerala Students Union (KSU) and later became active in the Youth Congress.
He had served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Keralam Legislative Assembly since 2021 and emerged as one of the prominent faces of the UDF campaign against the outgoing Left government.
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