Thiruvananthapuram, May 14 -- Vadassery Damodaran Satheesan, better known as VD Satheesan, was inducted into the Congress party through its student wing, the Kerala Students Union (KSU), in the early 1980s.

Soon, Satheesan's oratory skills were on display on the campus. Next, his leadership skills came to the fore during his tenure as a three-time union councillor at MG University in Kottayam. Despite his popularity, the young leader was overlooked for key posts in the KSU and the Youth Congress.

A decade later, in 1996, Satheesan finally got the nod from the Congress leadership to contest the Paravur assembly seat, a Communist stronghold not far from his birthplace, Nettoor, in Ernakulam district.

Though Satheesan lost the election in...