V D Satheesan celebrates the Nilambur win with other Congress leaders.
Credit: PTI Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: The impressive victory of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Nilambur Assembly by-poll has not just brightened the hopes of Congress returning to power in Kerala, but also witnessed opposition leader V D Satheesan emerging as a stronger leader.
The firm decision of the UDF not to succumb to the pressure tactics of dissident former left front MLA P V Anvar and the unity among the UDF leaders were the highlights of the UDF's election campaign.
The party is now trying to take forward this victory spirit to the 2026 Assembly election as well as the local body election that is scheduled to happen this year itself.
Satheesan was made the Leader of Opposition as part of the leadership change in the Congress following its successive defeat in the Assembly elections in 2021.
The UDF could script success in four out of the five by-polls that followed. The Nilambur victory stands apart as the Congress could wrest the left-front's sitting seat, while the other three were sitting seats of Congress, including Puthuppally that was earlier represented by former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
Even as the Congress lost the by-poll at Chelakkara in Thrissur, the victory margin of CPI(M) could be drastically brought down.
Satheesan, who is an MLA representing Paravur near Kochi since 2001, has been exhibiting his leadership quality by owning up in advance responsibility for any defeat and crediting the victory to ‘team UDF’.
During the Nilambur by-poll, even as former left-front backed independent MLA P V Anvar tried to put pressure for making an entry to the UDF, Satheesan took the firm decision that the latter could not be accommodated in UDF as associate member unless he withdrew the adverse remarks made against UDF candidate Aryadan Shoukath.
Even as there were concerns within the UDF camps over the adamant stand of Satheesan, UDF leaders also stood by him.
“Had the UDF succumbed to Anvar's pressure and accommodated him in the UDF, now Anvar could have staked claims for UDF's victory,” a Congress leader pointed out.
A serious problem that the Congress was so far facing was the absence of a firm leader. There used to be contradictory versions by the party leaders on crucial matters. That could be averted during the Nilambur electioneering, Congress sources point out.
Even now there is resentment among some top leaders in the Congress over the projection of Satheesan as ‘captain’ by the cyber activists. Former opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala even expressed it by stating that he did not get any such title even as the Congress won by-poll during his term as opposition leader.
But Satheesan tactfully handled it by stating that if he was the ‘captain’, Chennithala was the ‘major’. Satheesan also reiterated that the Nilambur victory was that of ‘Team UDF’.