A day after V D Satheesan was appointed Kerala Chief Minister, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, on early Friday, made his first public response, saying he welcomed the Congress High Command's decision and that the party would extend full support to his leadership. 

Speaking to the media around 2 am during a visit to the Guruvayur Temple, Chennithala said, “I welcome the decision made by Congress High Command. I believe V D Satheesan will have the full support of Congress and UDF workers. I also believe full support will be given to him to liberate the public from 10 years of LDF rule. This is the responsibility of his government. For that, I ask people to support him,” Chennithala said.

His remarks come amid reports that he was initially unhappy with Satheesan being chosen for the top post. At the time of the announcement, Chennithala was in Thiruvananthapuram but did not address the media or speak to reporters. According to sources, Chennithala had written to the Leader of the Opposition of Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday, informing him that he would not participate in the CLP meeting but would fully support Satheesan. Sources also said the AICC leadership is keen to include Satheesan in the cabinet, though he is reportedly showing reluctance. Efforts are also underway at the High Command level to persuade Chennithala regarding his role in the new government.

Chennithala had been one of the contenders for the Chief Minister’s post, but later recused himself, stating that he would abide by any decision of the Congress High Command. After his withdrawal, the race was effectively narrowed to Satheesan and K C Venugopal.

After 11 days of internal deliberations, the Congress High Command on Thursday announced Satheesan as the new CM. The announcement was made in Delhi by Deepa Dasmunshi, who named him as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader. Satheesan said the responsibility had been entrusted to him by the Indian National Congress and described it as a major responsibility.