Explained: In the race for Kerala CM’s post, why VD Satheesan praised PM Modi and how Congress is taking it

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has registered a historic comeback in Kerala, secured a commanding 102 out of 140 seats in the 2026 Assembly elections in the state, reducing the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to a mere 35 seats. However, a major question that currently remains unanswered is that who will be the next chief minister of Kerala? Among the front-runner for the top post is VD Satheesan, the Leader of the Opposition in the last Assembly and a sixth-time MLA from Paravur.

Amidst internal churning for the Kerala CM’s post, Satheesan recently sparked a controversy by citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s experience to bolster his own claim to the top post in the state.

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While speaking to The Indian Express, Satheesan reportedly invoked Prime Minister Modi’s experience to make a case for his own candidacy. However, this has drawn sharp criticism from within the party’s ideological ecosystem, while social media users have flagged it as a major sign of worry for the Congress.

Satheesan stated that administrative experience cannot be the criteria to choose a leader, but the leader’s vision and his or her ability to build a team are important. “Administrative experience is not an issue. V S Achuthanandan (former Kerala CM and long-time CPI-M leader), what was his administrative experience? When (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi became the CM (of Gujarat), what was his administrative experience? He was a party organiser, not even a senior parliamentarian,” The Indian Express quoted Satheesan as saying.

Reacting to the development, a social media user, named Roshan Rai, wrote on X, “VD Satheesan, Kerala Congress leader is praising Modi and using his example to strengthen his claim for the post of the Chief Minister of Kerala. This is a major Red Flag for me, specially for the times that we are living in.”

VD Satheesan , Kerala Congress leader is praising Modi and using his example to strengthen his claim for the post of the Chief Minister of Kerala.

This is a major Red Flag for me , specially for the times that we are living i. https://t.co/DlXqw82p1M

— Roshan Rai (@RoshanKrRaii) May 6, 2026

Another X user, named Kranti Kumar, wrote, “But the question is, when BJP leaders continuously mock Rahul Gandhi, why are Congress’s own senior leaders praising Modi in this way? Isn’t this double standards? It seems they’ve lost their heads in the joy of becoming CM.”

VD Satheesan का एक वीडियो वायरल का जिसमें वो Narendra Modi की तारीफ कर रहे हैं. वो कह रहे हैं कि मोदी जी के पास मुख्यमंत्री बनने से पहले कोई बड़ा प्रशासनिक अनुभव नही था, लेकिन उनकी “Team Building” क्षमता मजबूत थी.

लेकिन सवाल यह है कि जब बीजेपी के नेता लगातार Rahul Gandhi का मजाक… pic.twitter.com/nBIsPsZBDB

— Kranti Kumar (@KraantiKumar) May 6, 2026

Satheesan’s remarks come at a delicate juncture, with the Congress high command attempting to select the new leader. His camp argues that he deserves the Chief Minister’s post, since he led the UDF from the beginning after the party’s failure in the 2021 polls.

But his recent attempt to draw parallels with the Prime Minister’s tenure is being viewed as problematic by sections of the party cadre, considering the bitter ideological rivalry between the two parties.

As of now, Congess has not reacted to Satheesan comments.

What to expect next?

For now, the battle for Kerala’s next Chief Minister has been shifted to New Delhi, with the Congress Legislature Party unanimously authorising Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge to take the final call on the leadership issue.

This sets the stage for a high-stakes political showdown within the victorious Congress camp. At the Legislature Party meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, state Congress chief Sunny Joseph moved the customary one-line resolution that was seconded by Satheesan and passed unanimously.

The race for the top post is primarily among three members — VD Satheesan, K C Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala.

After the results were announced for the 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal, Congress’ observers Ajay Maken, Mukul Wasnik and Deepa Das Munshi, individually met the newly elected MLAs of the party to assess support patterns and political preferences.

According to IANS, Satheesan has come up as the most visible public favourite after leading the Opposition for the last five years in Kerala, but the numbers within the legislature party are believed to favour Venugopal.