Kerala Assembly Elections 2026 | Vijayan vs V D Satheesan debate soon? CM accepts Congress leader's challenge

On Monday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan accepted Congress chief V D Satheesan's challenge for a public debate, intensifying the political landscape ahead of the state's Assembly polls.

Vijayan shared the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government's "report card" on his social media, a day after Satheesan challenged him for a debate, and said the discussion could take place based on the achievements listed in it.

Emphasising on what he termed as the government's "A-plus" performance, Vijayan asked whether the opposition was ready to debate on those points.

Soon after the chief minister's post, Satheesan said he accepted the challenge and was ready for the debate at a time and venue decided by the CM.

"Now that the chief minister has said he is ready for a debate, he can decide the place and time. I will be there accordingly. Let the people decide the rest," Satheesan said in a Facebook post.

The development follows Satheesan's criticism that the LDF government had not built as many houses in the past 10 years as were constructed during the tenure of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, a statement made on Sunday.

He also said that the detailed figures of various development projects implemented through different departments were available in replies given by LDF ministers in the Assembly, and reiterated his readiness for an open debate with Vijayan on development issues.