Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister-designate V D Satheesan met his predecessor Pinarayi Vijayan at the latter’s residence here on Friday.
Satheesan has been meeting senior leaders since Thursday after being named the chief minister by the AICC.
He reached Vijayan’s residence shortly after 12.10 pm.
Vijayan and his family came out to receive Satheesan, following which the two leaders went inside and held discussions.
Vijayan held Satheesan’s hand as he escorted him into the house.
They also spoke about health and diet while sharing light moments over tea. Vijayan was having green tea during the interaction. Satheesan also appreciated Vijayan’s disciplined lifestyle.
The residence was recently rented at Bakery Junction after the LDF lost power and Vijayan vacated the official residence.
Satheesan was the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly during Vijayan’s second tenure as chief minister from 2021 to 2026.
With Satheesan set to take over as chief minister, Vijayan, who has been elected as the CPI(M) legislature party leader, is expected to become the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly.
The two leaders had several exchanges, both inside and outside the Assembly, during the tenure of the previous government.
After the visit, Satheesan and Vijayan jointly met reporters.
Satheesan said he visited Vijayan, describing him as one of the senior-most leaders in Kerala who has served as chief minister for 10 years and as CPI(M) state secretary for 16 years.
"We have undertaken a crucial responsibility, and he is set to take over as the Opposition leader. Even though we may not agree on all subjects due to politics, we should stand together on matters related to Kerala, and I hope that is possible. I have sought his support in this," he said.
He said initiatives of the previous government would not be scrapped.
"There is continuity in governance. There will be corrections in matters we had criticised earlier. If one government cancels the initiatives of another, Kerala will not progress," he said.
Satheesan said he had invited Vijayan to the swearing-in ceremony on May 18.
When asked whether Vijayan would attend, Satheesan replied, "Sure".
However, Vijayan did not respond to reporters' questions and said he would meet them later.
Before meeting Vijayan, Satheesan met Kerala Congress leader P J Joseph and other party leaders at the MLA hostel.
Satheesan said that Joseph is a senior leader in Kerala politics and that several things can be learned from him.
He also said that the Kerala Congress is a key ally of the UDF, which fought the election together, and that it will continue as a team.
He later visited the residence of former Speaker G Karthikeyan. Satheesan became emotional on seeing Karthikeyan’s wife, M T Sulekha.
After interacting with Sulekha and their son, K S Sabarinadhan, a councillor in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Sulekha said that Satheesan was like an elder son to Karthikeyan.
"Satheesan may be the chief minister for you. But for Karthikeyan and me, he is our elder son. Karthikeyan was the first to recognise his potential. He had told me that Satheesan would be the future of Kerala," Sulekha told reporters.
She said that after the 1996 election defeat, Satheesan went on to win in 2001 and rise to greater heights in public life.
"I wish him good luck. Let him be known as a chief minister like Oommen Chandy, who had concern for the poor and upheld secular values. Let him be a chief minister who will always be remembered," she said.
Sabarinadhan also wished Satheesan success.
Satheesan said his relationship with Karthikeyan was well known.
"I had stepped away after student politics. It was he who met K Karunakaran and A K Antony and told them that I would be an asset and should be given a seat in 1996 and 2001. This is my family. I used to tell Sabarinadhan that I am the eldest son here," he said.
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Satheesan said he entered active politics holding Karthikeyan’s hand.
"I cannot forget him and his family in my life. If I don’t come here, where else will I go," he said.
Satheesan also visited the residence of MP Adoor Prakash, who is the UDF convenor.
Satheesan said Prakash is senior to him.
"He was elected to the Assembly in 1996, while I came in 2001. He has been effectively coordinating all the UDF constituent parties. I am very grateful to him, and he is like an elder brother to me," Satheesan said.
On Thursday, Satheesan visited the residences of senior leaders A K Antony and V M Sudheeran.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
