Thiruvananthapuram, May 15 -- 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 forefront during his time as the three-time union councillor at MG University in Kottayam. Despite his popularity, the young leader was overlooked for key posts in the KSU and youth Congress.

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

Though Satheesan lost the election in the ...