Veteran Indian National Congress (INC) leader and former Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Thursday, 14 May threw his full weight behind the party high command's decision to name V.D. Satheesan as the 13th Chief Minister of Kerala, urging citizens to give the incoming government adequate time to address the state's deep financial challenges. The endorsement came as Satheesan prepared to lead the United Democratic Front (UDF) back to power in Thiruvananthapuram after a decade out of office.

Antony's Endorsement

Speaking to reporters, Antony said he stands firmly behind the decision made at the highest levels of the Congress. 'I fully support the decision taken by the Congress high command. Sonia Gandhi, party President Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi have taken this decision,' he said.

Antony stressed that the new administration deserves a fair runway. 'My only appeal is to please give some reasonable time to Satheesan to get out of this mess. Kerala is totally bankrupt, so he needs some time,' he said. He later reiterated to reporters that the choice was a 'well thought' decision by the leadership.

Congress MP Hibi Eden Weighs In

Congress MP Hibi Eden echoed Antony's sentiments, describing the appointment as a validation of Kerala's popular expectations. 'We are quite happy that the expectations of the people of Kerala have been accepted by the high command, where LoP Rahul Gandhi, party President Mallikarjun Kharge and the leadership of the Indian National Congress have accepted V.D. Satheesan as the Chief Minister of Kerala,' Eden said.

Eden credited Satheesan's five-year tenure as Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly for building public confidence. 'His battle brought an end to the disastrous LDF rule. Inside and outside the Assembly, the kind of agitations and issues he had raised gave a huge confidence to the people of Kerala,' he said.

Satheesan on the Deliberation Process

Chief Minister-designate V.D. Satheesan addressed questions about the time taken by the Congress leadership to finalise his name, framing it as a thorough consultative exercise rather than indecision. 'I cannot say that this was a delay. This is a process. Earlier, there was no such intense media and social media scrutiny. Sometimes, even fake news spreads. The leadership discussed the matter with former PCC presidents, working committee members, MLAs, and MPs before arriving at a decision,' he said.

Context: Congress Returns After a Decade

The UDF, led by the Congress, is returning to power in Kerala after 10 years, unseating the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. Antony underscored the historic nature of the moment: 'This is the United Democratic Front government led by the Congress.' Notably, Kerala has a well-established pattern of alternating between the UDF and LDF at every state election — making this result consistent with that trend, though the scale of the mandate and the state's fiscal condition will define the new government's early agenda.

With Kerala described by Antony himself as 'totally bankrupt', Satheesan's administration faces an immediate test of fiscal management alongside governance expectations built up over a decade in opposition. How the new CM navigates that tension will be closely watched.