Thiruvananthapuram: Even before formally taking oath as Kerala’s Chief Minister, V.D. Satheesan faces perhaps his toughest political assignment, pacifying veteran Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, a towering figure in Kerala politics whose long career has been marked more by resilience and success than by setbacks.
For Satheesan, the challenge is not merely administrative or organisational.
It is deeply political and emotional within the Congress ecosystem.
Chennithala, who turns 70 later this month, has spent over four decades at the centre of Kerala politics after first becoming a state minister four decades ago.
Since then, he has held almost every major political position available to a Congress leader in the state, Youth Congress leader, state Congress president, Opposition leader, state Home Minister and senior strategist within the party.
In a career stretching across generations of Congress politics, defeats have rarely come Chennithala’s way.
In fact, the lone major electoral setback he suffered was during the 2004 Lok Sabha election, a rare blemish in an otherwise formidable political journey.
That long experience and organisational grip make him a leader impossible to ignore, even for a newly anointed Chief Minister backed strongly by the high command.
The prolonged uncertainty over the Chief Minister’s post had already exposed sharp undercurrents within the Congress-led front.
Though the high command finally settled on Satheesan after days of consultations and dramatic negotiations in Delhi, it is no secret that sections within the party had rallied behind Chennithala.
His reported unhappiness over the final decision has therefore become the first major political hurdle before the incoming Chief Minister.
He missed the first meeting of the newly elected legislators held here on Thursday night.
He had left the state capital by noon and was spotted in the early hours on Friday at the famed Sree Krishna temple at Guruvayur.
“The decision on who all should be in the cabinet is the prerogative of the CM. I wish him all the best and thank the party high command,” said Chennithala.
On Friday morning, he returned home here and said he had nothing more to add to what he said in Guruvayur.
Meanwhile, Satheesan is expected to arrive at Chennithala’s residence and will invite him to take up a key portfolio.
During Oommen Chandy’s tenure (2011-16), he later joined as Home Minister after Chandy decided to hand it to him.
Satheesan’s immediate priority will now be to ensure that the transition does not leave behind bitterness capable of weakening the government before it even begins functioning.
More than cabinet formation or portfolio allocation, the real balancing act lies in keeping Chennithala politically engaged, respected and visibly accommodated within the new power structure.
For the Congress leadership, the message is equally clear: winning the election was only the first battle. Preserving unity among ambitious senior leaders may prove to be the harder task in the days ahead.
(IANS)
