India's main opposition Congress party has named veteran politician V.D. Satheesan, 61, as chief minister of Kerala (a relatively prosperous southern state of around 36 million people), after its alliance swept 102 of 140 seats in recent state elections, ending two consecutive terms of Communist-led government. The win is a rare bright spot for Congress, which has ceded ground nationally to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and now directly governs only four states. The announcement came after a brief bout of internal friction, with senior Congress figure Ramesh Chennithala initially skipping a key party meeting, though he subsequently declared his support for Satheesan, signalling a fragile unity ahead of cabinet formation.