V. D. Satheesan

Vadasseri Damodaran Satheesan (born 31 May 1964) is an Indian politician and lawyer who is serving as the 13th Chief Minister of Kerala since May 2026. A member of the Indian National Congress, he has represented Paravur in the Kerala Legislative Assembly since 2001.

In the 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly election, he led the Congress-led UDF to a landslide victory, with the alliance securing 102 seats in the 140-member assembly and ending the CPI(M)-led LDF's decade-long rule in the state.

Early life V. D. Satheesan was born on 31 May 1964 in Nettoor, Kochi, Kerala, into a Nair family, to Vadasseri Vilasini Amma and K. Damodara Menon. Satheesan got his family name, Vadasseri, through matrilineal succession.

He studied at Panangad High School in Panangad. He completed his Pre-degree and B.A. in Sociology from Sacred Heart College, Thevara. Then he did Post Graduate Diploma and Masters in Social Work from Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Kalamassery. He then did his LL.B. from the Kerala Law Academy Law College and LL.M. from Government Law College in Thiruvananthapuram.

Satheesan practiced Law in the Kerala High Court for around 10 years in the 1990s. He is fond of reading and trekking. He is married to R. Lakshmi Priya, and the couple have a daughter, Unnimaya.

Political career

Satheesan started his political journey as a student activist, joining Kerala Students Union (KSU). He was elected as the chairman of Mahatma Gandhi University Union during 1986–1987 as a KSU candidate. He also served as the secretary for National Students' Union and later rose through the Youth Congress.

Satheesan's first foray into legislative politics was in 1996, when he was still practising as a lawyer. He contested as a candidate for the Kerala Legislative Assembly from Paravur, then considered a communist stronghold. He lost the election to the Communist Party of India candidate P. Raju by a narrow margin. He contested again from the same constituency in 2001 and won. He has held the seat since, winning consecutive elections in 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021, and 2026.

His political breakthrough came in May 2021, when the Congress Working Committee declared V. D. Satheesan as the Leader of the Opposition in the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly. He was previously denied ministerial positions, reportedly due to his strained relationships with influential communitarian and communal lobbies.

His political persona has been described as assertive, confident and confrontational. In a departure from traditional Congress politics, he has been reluctant to seek the favour of influential communal organisations in Kerala.

He was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of Kerala on 18 May 2026 at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, succeeding Pinarayi Vijayan.

As Chief Minister of Kerala, Satheesan also held the charge of 35 departments, including Finance, Taxes, General Administration, Law, Disaster Management, Science and Technology and Ports.

Electoral performance +Kerala Legislative AssemblyYearConstituencyPartyVotes%OpponentOpponent partyVotes%MarginMargin