Congress changes leadership after Kerala drubbing, appoints VD Satheesan as Leader of Opposition

VD Satheesan was appointed on Saturday as the new Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Kerala Legislative Assembly. State PCC president Mullappally Ramachandran said the decision to change the leadership of the party was taken in view of the defeat in the recent state election.

VD Satheesan was on Saturday chosen as the new opposition leader in the Kerala Legislative Assembly by the Congress High Command. The decision was taken by the High Command of Congress after considering the party’s performance in the 2021 state election. State PCC president Mullappally Ramachandran said that there was no question about Ramesh Chennithala's leadership but the party had suffered an unfortunate defeat in the elections. He added that there was a call for change in leadership following the election result and the party acknowledged that.Mullappally Ramachandran also said, “I was appointed by the High Command as the PCC President, I have expressed my willingness to take responsibility for the election defeat,” adding that “It is the High Command that must decide on the future course of action.” Earlier this month, the Indian Youth Congress wrote a letter to the All India Congress Committee, seeking a leadership change in Kerala. The letter, signed by 24 functionaries of the organization, including the state vice president, asked the PCC President and the Leader of Opposition to be changed, among others.