Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], May 14 (ANI): In a dramatic role reversal, CPI(M) Politburo member and outgoing Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will lead the Opposition in the 16th Kerala Assembly, a position previously held by Congress MLA V.D. Satheesan.
The CPI(M) state committee unanimously elected Vijayan as Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly, according to a party statement.
The decision was taken during the state committee meeting attended by CPI(M) General Secretary M.A. Baby, A. Vijayaraghavan, and Pinarayi Vijayan, among others, CPI(M) State Secretary M.V. Govindan said.
After serving as chief minister for a historic decade from 2016 to 2026, Vijayan is now set to lead the Left Democratic Front’s opposition in the Assembly.
The United Democratic Front (UDF) won 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly. The Congress secured 63 seats, while its key ally, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), won 22 seats, ending the Left Democratic Front’s decade-long rule in the state.
The LDF secured a total of 35 seats, with the CPI(M) winning 26 seats, the CPI securing eight seats, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) winning one seat.
The two leaders who faced off over the last five years — Satheesan as opposition leader and Vijayan as chief minister — will now continue their political rivalry with their roles reversed.
Vijayan previously served as CPI(M) state secretary for 17 years beginning in 1998.
Meanwhile, the All India Congress Committee officially finalized Satheesan’s name earlier Thursday after nearly 10 days of speculation. Congress leader Deepa Dasmunshi made the announcement in the national capital.
Satheesan, the Kerala chief minister-designate, arrived in Thiruvananthapuram for the Congress Legislature Party meeting held Thursday evening.
Following the meeting, Satheesan is expected to meet Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar and formally stake claim to form the government. (ANI)
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