V D Satheesan Named Chief Minister of Kerala

K C Venugopal, Congress general secretary, has affirmed the party's decision to appoint V D Satheesan as the new Chief Minister of Kerala and extended his congratulations.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Venugopal, a strong candidate for the position himself, assured that he would support Satheesan and the Congress-led UDF government in Kerala.

The announcement comes over ten days after the Congress-led UDF achieved a significant victory in the April Assembly elections. The delay in naming Satheesan was due to internal lobbying and protests from the party's grassroots members. Along with Satheesan and Venugopal, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala was a contender for the top post.

(With inputs from agencies.)