Thiruvananthapuram,07 May (H.S.):As intense discussions continue within the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) over the selection of Kerala’s next Chief Minister, supporters of senior Congress leader and Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan have begun staging public demonstrations in different parts of the state demanding that he be elevated to the top post.

Street protests in support of Satheesan were reported from Kannur and Ernakulam districts on Thursday. Demonstrations were held in Iritty in Kannur district and Thettoor in Ernakulam, with organisers indicating that similar protests would soon spread to other parts of Kerala.

Raising slogans such as “Let the man who led the battle lead the state,” supporters marched through the streets carrying placards and banners backing Satheesan’s candidature for Chief Minister. Congress workers and sympathisers claimed that Satheesan, who spearheaded the UDF’s campaign against the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), deserved the leadership position after the alliance’s emphatic electoral victory.

In Kannur district, preparations are reportedly underway for wider public demonstrations in areas including Pazhayangadi and Iritty. The protests are politically significant as they are taking place in regions considered influential strongholds of senior Congress leaders, including the Lok Sabha constituency represented by AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal and areas regarded as organisational strongholds of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Sunny Joseph.

The developments come at a time when the Congress high command is engaged in hectic consultations over leadership selection following the UDF’s sweeping victory in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections.

The UDF returned to power after a decade by winning 102 seats in the 140-member Kerala Assembly, delivering one of its biggest victories in recent decades. The Congress emerged as the single-largest party in the alliance, winning 68 seats, while the CPI(M)-led LDF was reduced to 35 seats in a major political setback for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Left Front.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman