Pole to podium, VD wins a dream race

V D Satheesan possesses the political acumen of K Karunakaran, the erudition of Panampilly Govinda Menon and the people-connect of Oommen Chandy. The comparison with CPM leader V S Achuthanandan may not be entirely correct because Satheesan seems to be more of a pragmatic leader, capable of imbibing the multicultural diversity of Kerala. Before the poll campaign began, the 61-year-old took a calculated risk by saying that if the UDF did not assume office, he would take political exile. He also made what seemed to be an improbable prediction that the UDF was set to win 100-plus seats and claimed that a dozen ministers in the LDF were set to lose from their respective constituencies.In this digital age, if predictions go wrong, there is always the risk of getting trolled. But all these predictions came true, pointing to the microplanning and strategic poll management he undertook, even supporting rebel CPM candidates in the heartland of Kannur. Although Satheesan rode high on the anti-Pinarayi wave that made the victory much easier than it would have been, his masterstroke was the quiet social engineering he undertook after becoming the opposition leader in 2021.The minority community votes — Muslims and Christians — which form around 44%, without which no party could dream of assuming office, had shifted base to the LDF during the first Pinarayi govt. Satheesan took great efforts to regain their trust, touching a deep chord with the cultural moorings of the communities through a yearlong talk series based on the Quran and the Bible. At the same time, the LDF made the strategic mistake of appeasing majority Hindu votes after they lost heavily in the Lok Sabha polls in 2019 for their bold stand on the women's entry issue at Sabarimala temple.What gave Satheesan more credibility, especially among women, was the principled stand he took against crimes against women. When Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil was accused of rape and sexual assault, he acted immediately and suspended — and later expelled — him, which was not received well by the younger brigade within party circles. But that enhanced Satheesan's image as a leader who would take strict action against his party members if they committed crimes, a policy unheard of in the party till then.A graduate in sociology and master's holder in law, Satheesan was known for his oratory skills even during his college days, and he began his practice in the Kerala high court. Though he wanted to take up constitutional law in the Supreme Court, Kerala politics wooed him back. In 1996, he contested from North Paravur, a CPM stronghold, and lost by a slim margin, but began to work doggedly and connect with people — a hallmark of his character — and won in 2001. He never looked back, winning six times from the same constituency.His famous public debate on the lottery scam against finance minister Thomas Isaac in 2010 earned him respectability and he would later present 33 adjournment motions on a wide range of issues, earning him praise even from Pinarayi Vijayan.Satheesan's intervention in green issues, even taking a stand against the official party line and supporting the Madhav Gadgil report, earned him the ‘Green MLA' tag. His claim that he represents the real Nehruvian Left was received well among Left fellow-travellers who felt the void after the V S Achuthanandan activist era.In his poll campaign, called the Puthu Yuga Yatra from north to south Kerala, he spoke mainly about developmental politics and alternative paths to revive the bankrupt treasury, refraining from mudslinging and personal attacks.The diminutive politician, who still retorts in a charming Kochi-Malayalam accent especially when the media asks uncomfortable questions, is a voracious reader, even while travelling in the car. An ardent admirer of Orhan Pamuk, Satheesan also loves to delve into nonfiction work, immersing himself in books on macroeconomics and political history.His victory perhaps echoes what one of the characters in Pamuk's classic work Snow says: "I don't want to be a tree, but its meaning." Even the coveted post of chief minister is worthless unless there is good governance and that will be Satheesan's litmus test in the coming months.