Congress MLA VD Satheesan to be the leader of opposition in Kerala

The Congress party on Saturday chose five-time legislator V D Satheesan as the leader of opposition in Kerala. Satheesan will become the opposition leader once the Congress party gives a letter to the pro-term speaker informing him of the party's decision.

The Paravur member of legislative assembly's (MLA's) selection ends weeks of uncertainty regarding who will lead the Congress party in the assembly and signals a revamp.

"With Satheesan's elevation, a new generation of leaders are coming up; leaders who are senior to Satheesan will slowly fade away," said A Jayashankar, political analyst.

Satheesan will be leading the 41 member UDF in the assembly. The UDF, besides the Congress party, includes the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP), a breakaway faction of the CPI(M), Nationalist Congress Kerala (NCK), a splinter group of NCP and a bunch of regional parties.

The Congress-led united democratic front (UDF) suffered a crushing defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections despite a spirited campaign. Kerala was the only state where the party hoped to come back to power. However, a massive wave favouring the ruling LDF helped it beat anti-incumbency and rewrite history. Kerala's electorate has alternated between UDF and LDF for more than four decades.

The left democratic front  (LDF) led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M)  had won 99 out of the 140 seats.

According to reports, both the outgoing leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala and former chief minister Oommen Chandy had opposed the move to appoint Satheesan. Chandy and Chennithala head rival factions in the Congress party in Kerala. And their alleged stance to stall Satheesan's elevation was panned by the Congress supporters.

Satheesan and Chennithala were frontrunners for the opposition leader's position. The names of senior Congress leader PT Thomas and former minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan also did rounds. What worked in Satheesan's favour was the support of legislators cutting across both the factions, especially the young MLAs. A large section of Congress leaders and supporters from Kerala wished for an organisation revamp after Congress's drubbing. All India Congress Committee (AICC) observers led by Mallikarjun Kharge had arrived in Kerala after the elections. They held one to one meetings with legislators.

"Congress workers are dejected. The general feeling is that a leadership change could revive the party. Satsheesan's elevation gives hope to cadres. He is a good parliamentarian and thoroughly secular. You cannot see another Congress leader's picture in any poster in his constituency that shows his confidence,' said A Jayashankar.

Satheesan was defeated in the first assembly election he contested in 1996. However, he won in his second attempt in 2001 and has never lost an election since then. He was the chairman of the public accounts committee in the Kerala assembly in his last term.

Chennithala congratulated Satheesan in a tweet. Satheesan was part of Chennithalas's faction but has tried to carve a space for himself over the years. He had done a  series of interviews with prominent personalities last year, like Rahul Gandhi. Satheesan cut his teeth in politics as a student activist; he was an office-bearer of the National Students Union (NSU). Despite being one of the most articulate faces of the Congress in the assembly, he was not considered for a ministerial post in the 2011 UDF government.

More changes could be in the offing including a new president for the Congress party's Kerala unit and UDF convenor.

Political observers said that a mere change in top leadership could not change the Congress party's fortunes. Nothing short of a complete overhaul could revive the party.

"Satheesan's elevation per se is not going to help the party. If Congress wants to reinvent itself, it has to go for a revamp right from booth level . There is no Congress in the villages. There should be atleast ten Congressmen in every booth who are ready to toil day and night for the party. Without that, the current change will be a window dressing,' said J Prabhash, former pro-vice-chancellor of Kerala University and political analyst.

"Only strong leaders have succeeded electorally in the recent past, whether Stalin, Jagan Mohan Reddy or Mamata Banerjee. Today is the age of strong leaders. Congress needs strong leaders at every level who can take on the CPI(M)."

Chennithala had made a name for himself as an effective leader of opposition by keeping the government on its toes. His interventions had forced the government to roll back its decisions more than once. But his work inside the assembly did not translate into public support for UDF.  Some blamed it on the Congress party's complacency and lack of support for Chennithala from the party.

"It is due to Congress culture of not rallying behind a single leader unlike CPI(M). Chennithala raked up all the issue towards the end of  Pinarayi Vijayan's first term. The Congress does not work hard as an opposition they beleive that they can come automatically back to power. When AK Antony was the opposition leader; he did not organise a single protest. But CPI(M) cadres will be on the street every day when they are out of power," said Prabhash.

The fact that Chennithala became a pet target of trolls supporting LDF did not help matters either.

" There was a pro incumbency this time in the elections. No Congress leader could have stopped Pinarayi Vijayan from coming back to power. Congress needed a scapegoat, and unfortunately, Chennithala was the victim,' said Jayashankar.