Kerala politics: Why is VD Satheesan competing with Bigg Boss?

Politics is getting to be a dirty business in Kerala – and V.D. Satheesan is only adding to the problems. This week, the Congress leader in Kerala has been caught on cameras wagging his finger at perceived enemies and threatening to drop ‘political bombs’.

And then just 24 hours later, he took aim at the CPM and BJP for having onboard politicians who have been tainted with sexual misconduct charges.

In between, he was even warning senior BJP politicians about leading a bull ‘yatra’ to their homes.

It was an angry and animated Satheesan that confronted the media and laying out all the allegations.

All of which was received with much bemusement by anyone who follows politics in Kerala. In fact, many compared Satheesan’s high drama to what’s going on in the latest season of ‘Bigg Boss’ – and with Satheesan coming in a distant second.

Did Satheesan really achieve anything in the last few days? For someone who’s auditioning to be the next chief minister of Kerala, all that he did was talk much and achieve nothing much.

If this was his way of trying to get back at the CPM and BJP for what happened to Rahul Mamkootathil, then Satheesan ought to have known better. But why would Satheesan need to speak about Mamkootathil anyway? The Palakkad MLA has been suspended from the Congress party for the next 6 months over alleged misbehavior with women.

So, why should the Congress and Satheesan personally still invest so much time in trying to counter what happened to Mamkootathil by trying to get back at CPM and BJP with misconduct accusations? The worst part? None of Satheesan’s punches landed on his opponents.       

If at all Satheesan needs to act, it should be to get his own party in Kerala back in some order.

The infighting within the Youth Congress in Kerala – of which Mamkootathil was the chief – has taken on epic proportions. There is mudslinging happening by the day, and none of which will help the Congress reclaim what it has lost due to the Mamkootathil created crisis. In between, Congress supporters have been pouring scorn on its women leaders in the state, all of which is being magnified on social media.   

Satheesan in this one week has lost all of the carefully crafted aura that came with the Congress’s thumping win in the Nilambur by-election. Now, all that you see is a leader who is fast losing touch with what matters most to Kerala voters when the next state elections come by around May 2026.

Is it time then for the Congress to have serious thoughts on who should be their chief minister aspirant? Is this the time for Ramesh Chennithala to make that serious push? Or is this an opening for K.C. Venugopal?

As for all Satheesaan fans, one can only hope this week ends without him finding himself in more bother. And stop competing with Big Boss.