Vadasherry Damodaran Satheesan will be the new chief minister of Kerala, the Congress leadership announced on Thursday, ending 10 days of suspense but leaving at least one of the two other contenders deeply discontent.

The party central leadership picked Satheesan, 61, after the Indian Union Muslim League, the second-largest constituent of the United Democratic Front, threw its weight behind him and several senior Congress leaders said the public wanted him.

Sources said it took Rahul Gandhi two hours to persuade the front-runner, Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, who had garnered overwhelming support among the party’s 63 MLAs, to agree to Satheeshan getting the top job.

However, the other candidate and dark horse Ramesh Chennithala, a veteran politician of standing, refused to be persuaded and has threatened to stay away from the cabinet. He slipped out of his home through the rear exit to avoid the public eye.

As the high command was huddled in New Delhi, unable to select a chief minister 10 days after the May 4 election results, the initial odds had seemed to favour Venugopal, at least till Wednesday evening. But the IUML’s staunch support tilted the scales in Satheesan’s favour.

Satheesan also found support from three senior Congress politicians: working committee leader A.K. Antony and former state unit presidents V.M. Sudheeran and K. Muraleedharan.

They told the central leadership that Satheesan’s stellar role as leader of the Opposition in harrying outgoing chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan inside and outside the House had made him a popular favourite, as had his role in leading the UDF to a landslide victory.

On Thursday morning, Rahul, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, called Venugopal to his home and brought him around after a lengthy discussion.

He then called Chennithala over the phone but failed to convince him. Following this, Congress general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh passed the responsibility of announcing the new chief minister’s name to the general secretary in charge of Kerala, Deepa Das Munshi.

While celebrations began at Cantonment House, the official residence of the leader of the Kerala Opposition, a post Satheesan had occupied since May 2021, a pall descended on Chennithala’s home.

Chennithala is believed to have travelled to his constituency in Haripad, Alappuzha, and from there to the Guruvayoor temple in Thrissur district which, like his political guru and chief minister K. Karunakaran, he always visits on the first day of the Malayalam month. The month of Edavam begins on Friday.

Back in Delhi, Venugopal faced the media. “I will stand with the high command decision,” he said. “I congratulate Satheesan on being selected as Kerala chief minister, and will provide all support to him and the UDF government.”

But he lost his cool when a reporter asked: “Will you continue to hold your office as AICC (All India Congress Committee) general secretary (organisation)?”

Venugopal retorted: “I don’t mind giving that, too, to them (the Satheesan camp).”

“The Congress legislature party met in Thiruvananthapuram on May 7 and unanimously resolved to authorise the Congress president to announce the CLP leader of Kerala,” Das Munshi said.

She said the party president then “held extensive discussions with the chairperson of the Congress parliamentary party, the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, AICC observers who had met the newly elected MLAs on May 7, and MPs, former (state Congress) chiefs and other senior leaders”.

“Based on these discussions, it has been decided that Shri V.D. Satheesan be appointed as the CLP leader in Kerala,” she added.

Satheesan called on Antony and Sudheeran to express his gratitude.

Venugopal loyalists are, however, furious with the party leadership.

“Among the 63 Congress MLAs, Venugopal had the support of 46,” Pazhakulam Madhu, an MLA from central Kerala, told The Telegraph.

“We didn’t show any resistance when the Satheesan camp showed off their campaigning in style,” he rued.

“The IUML also threatened the central leadership, including Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi, saying she would face the same fate as Rahul who had lost to the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.”

Rahul had lost to Smriti Irani from family borough Amethi in 2019.

Satheesan called up Venugopal and Chennithala and sought their support in finalising the cabinet. He was elected unanimously (except for Chennithala’s absence) at a meeting of party MLAs in the Assembly complex on Thursday evening.

He then met governor Rajendra Arlekar and staked his claim to form the government. The swearing-in will be held at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.

A high-profile Congress delegation from New Delhi as well as the Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana chief ministers — C. Joseph Vijay, Siddaramaiah and Revanth Reddy — will be at the ceremony.

The CPM state committee has chosen Vijayan as the leader of the Opposition.