Ending days of intense speculation and internal lobbying, the Congress on Thursday chose V D Satheesan as Kerala’s next Chief Minister, with the party leadership backing the Leader of Opposition over senior organisational heavyweight and Congress MP K C Venugopal in a decision aimed at preserving both unity in Kerala and stability at the national level.The move reflected LoP Rahul Gandhi’s preference for keeping Venugopal at the Centre at a time when the Congress is preparing for crucial 2027 political battles in states where it is in power or part of the ruling alliance, including Telangana, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand.Sources indicated that disturbing the central leadership structure now could have wider organisational consequences ahead of upcoming electoral contests.Satheesan, who led the Congress-led United Democratic Front’s campaign in Kerala, was eventually seen as the safer political and electoral choice despite Venugopal reportedly enjoying the support of a larger section of the newly elected Congress MLAs.Even before the formal announcement, signals from the high command had increasingly pointed towards retaining Venugopal in Delhi. Shortly before the decision, Venugopal held a meeting with Rahul Gandhi, fuelling speculation over his future role. Sources also pointed to the recent nomination of Venugopal for a second term as a member of the Public Accounts Committee as another indication that the leadership wanted him to continue handling organisational responsibilities at the national level.The Congress leadership was also wary of triggering unnecessary political uncertainty. Had Venugopal been picked as Chief Minister, he would have been required to resign as Lok Sabha MP from Alappuzha and contest an Assembly bypoll within six months. The resignation would also have forced the party into another parliamentary by-election at a politically sensitive time.The leadership also appeared keen to avoid a Karnataka-like power struggle in Kerala. In Karnataka, the continuing tussle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has remained a source of discomfort for the party leadership. Congress leaders believed Kerala required a leader with a clear political mandate and strong acceptability among both workers and allies to ensure the government completed a stable five-year term.Satheesan emerged with a major edge because of the support he received from alliance partners. The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which holds 22 seats in the 102-member UDF camp, strongly backed his candidature. The IUML maintained that the alliance’s massive victory was largely a validation of Satheesan’s aggressive Opposition politics over the last five years. Other allies, including Kerala Congress (Joseph) and the Revolutionary Socialist Party, also rallied behind him.Within the party organisation too, a strong sentiment had emerged that the leader who spearheaded the election campaign should head the government. Satheesan was increasingly projected as the “people’s candidate”, particularly after angry posters surfaced in parts of Kerala warning the Congress against overlooking him.