The principled and calibrated public stance taken by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and key United Democratic Front (UDF) allies that the next chief ministerial choice should align with the popular sentiment behind the UDF's sweeping mandate ultimately proved decisive in shifting the political momentum in favour of VD Satheesan, who led the front in the assembly elections.
IUML's Consistent Support for Satheesan
At a time when intense lobbying and factional manoeuvring had gripped the Congress party over its chief ministerial candidate, the IUML consistently stated that the public verdict was widely perceived as an endorsement of Satheesan's leadership and his anti-LDF campaign over the last five years. IUML leaders held their ground when Congress leaders and All India Congress Committee (AICC) leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi sought their opinion. They took the moral high ground that their stand in favour of Satheesan was not out of a personal preference among the three chief ministerial contenders but as a question of respecting the mandate of the people.
Public Sentiment Guiding the Decision
Publicly, the IUML was careful to avoid naming Satheesan directly as its preferred choice. Instead, leaders – including party supremo Panakkad Sadikali Shihab Thangal – repeatedly asserted that public sentiment should guide the decision on leadership matters. In Kerala's political context, however, the message was unmistakable. Sources said the IUML sought the continuation of the 'Team UDF' spirit that had powered the coalition's electoral resurgence over the past few years and brought it to power to form the new government. The party's assessment was that Satheesan had become the principal face of the opposition's campaign against the LDF over the past five years and replacing him at the final stage could create a disconnect between the mandate and the eventual leadership outcome.
IUML's Direct Communication with Congress High Command
The IUML's intervention reportedly went far beyond a public message. Sources said senior IUML leaders conveyed directly to the Congress high command that the political mood in Kerala strongly favoured Satheesan and that ignoring that sentiment could weaken the coalition's momentum in future electoral battles, including the next Lok Sabha elections. The IUML reportedly argued against any arrangement that would also necessitate a byelection, maintaining that forcing the front into an avoidable electoral exercise immediately after securing a massive mandate would be politically imprudent.
Resistance to Venugopal's Elevation
The IUML's position acquired greater weight as speculation intensified around the possible elevation of AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, with a majority of Congress MLAs favouring him. In parts of Malabar, Congress legislators perceived to be aligned with Venugopal reportedly faced resistance from cadres. Sources said even planned victory celebrations by some MLAs had to be deferred after resistance emerged from UDF and IUML cadres who were unhappy with attempts to sideline Satheesan. The IUML's assessment also stemmed from its own reading of the anti-LDF voter sentiment. The party firmly believed that a large section of voters who consolidated behind the UDF had done so with the expectation that Satheesan would lead the government if the front came to power.
Decisive Conversation with Sonia Gandhi
Sources said the decisive moment came during IUML supremo Sadikali Shihab Thangal's conversation with Sonia Gandhi, in which he is learnt to have conveyed that making Satheesan chief minister would be the 'true reflection of the people's mandate'. Also, IUML leaders had spoken to Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi, who too was quick to sense the argument that public sentiments, seen even in her constituency, should not be overlooked. Interestingly, some Congress MLAs – who are said to have expressed support for Venugopal before AICC observers – later privately conveyed to IUML leaders during post-election thanksgiving visits that their stand had been shaped more by internal party compulsions and expressed their support for the IUML's stand on the issue.
Antony's Advice and Coalition Realities
Senior Congress leader AK Antony too is learnt to have advised the leadership that the views of coalition partners deserved due consideration. Though the IUML did not take an aggressive stand that it would raise dissent if the Congress high command chose otherwise, the latter's decision reflected the coalition realities of Kerala politics more than the internal arithmetic in the party.
