All About VD Satheesan: Five Time Paravur MLA Leading Kerala Opposition

VD Satheesan, the leader of the Opposition in Kerala, will once again fight elections from Paravur in 2026, a seat he has represented for 25 years. 

The Congress veteran is also attempting to restore the glory days of the grand old party in Kerala, where it has been out of power for 10 years. 

Who is VD Satheesan? 

Born on May 31, 1964, in Nettoor in Ernakulam district, Satheesan completed his schooling at Panangad High School. He pursued his undergraduate studies at Sacred Heart College, Thevara. He did his master's in Social Work (MSW) from Rajagiri College of Social Sciences. 

Satheesan went on to study law from Kerala Law Academy Law College and an LLM degree from Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. He practised as a lawyer at the Kerala High Court for nearly 10 years. 

Satheesan began his political journey in student politics, serving as chairman of the Mahatma Gandhi University Union between 1986 and 1987. He also served as the secretary of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI).

In 1996, he contested his first election but lost to Communist Party of India's P Raju. 

Satheesan was first elected from Paravur to the Kerala Assembly in 2001, and he hasn't lost since. He also served as the Chief Whip of Congress in the Kerala Assembly.  

During his early years in the assembly, between 2000 and 2005, Satheesan initiated and completed a major drinking water project in Paravur, which benefited over 2.5 lakh people. 

He replaced Ramesh Chennithala as Leader of the Opposition in May 2021. He has also held the office of Vice President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). 

Satheesan is married to Lakshmi Priya, and they have a daughter.

Kerala Assembly elections are scheduled for April 9. The results will be declared on May 4.