"Wish my good friend VD Satheesan every success as Kerala CM": CPI(M)'s MA Baby; calls Pinarayi Vijayan 'natural' choice for LoP

Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], May 15 : CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby on Thursday congratulated Keralam Chief Minister-designate V D Satheesan after the Congress high command finalised his name as the Congress Legislature Party leader following days of suspense over the leadership decision.

Speaking tohere, Baby said the Congress leadership had finally arrived at a decision regarding the new Chief Minister and wished his "good friend" Satheesan a successful tenure as the CM.

"Finally, the Congress high command could come out with a decision as to who should be the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party, in order to take oath as the new CM of Kerala. I am happy that this delayed decision has come out now. I wish my good friend VD Satheesan every success as the new CM of Kerala," Baby said.

The remarks came after the All India Congress Committee officially announced Satheesan's name as the next Chief Minister following the United Democratic Front (UDF)'s landslide victory in the 2026 Keralam Assembly elections.

The UDF secured 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly, ending the Left Democratic Front (LDF)'s decade-long rule in the state.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) state committee unanimously elected outgoing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as the Leader of the Opposition in the Keralam Legislative Assembly.

Praising Vijayan's leadership, Baby described him as the natural choice to lead the Opposition.

"Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan is a very seasoned leader. He led the party for more than one and a half decades. He is the first CM in the history of Kerala who could be the CM for two consecutive terms of 10 years. Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan ably led the LDF Government. Naturally, CPI(M) and the LDF would choose him as the natural Leader of the Opposition," he told ANI.

In a significant political reversal, Vijayan, who served as Chief Minister from 2016 to 2026, will now lead the Opposition in the Assembly, a position held by Satheesan in the previous House.

Earlier on Thursday, Satheesan visited the residence of Congress leader Chandy Oommen, son of the late former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

Paying tribute to Oommen Chandy, Satheesan said the "golden phase" of his political life was between 2006 and 2011, when the veteran Congress leader gave him opportunities in the Assembly as Leader of the Opposition.

He also said he would meet Pinarayi Vijayan and speak to Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, while adding that decisions on Cabinet formation and the swearing-in ceremony would be finalised soon.

"Other Chief Ministers, including Vijay, are being invited by the national leadership," the Congress leader added.

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