Thiruvananthapuram, May 15 -- Outgoing Leader of the Opposition in Kerala assembly VD Satheesan was named as the new chief minister of Kerala, eleven days after the poll results were declared on May 4 and after a nerve-racking contest between him and Congress' powerful general secretary KC Venugopal. Satheesan on Thursday thanked the party high command for giving him such a "huge responsibility" and said that the government will work to deliver on the promises made to the public and improve their standard of living. Deepa Dasmunshi, general secretary in charge of Kerala announced "The Congress legislature party met at Thiruvananthapuram and unanimously authorised Congress president to select the CLP leader. Congress president held extensive discussions with the Congress parliamentary party leader Sonia Gandhi and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and many other leaders including former PCC chiefs. Based on all these discussions it has been decided that VD Satheesan has been appointed as the leader of the Congress Legislative Party." According to a senior Congress leader, while Venugopal was the preferred choice of the Congress High Command, especially Rahul Gandhi, Satheesan enjoyed the public support and enjoyed the backing of the party organization and the allies including IUML. This is a rare instance of Congress High Command failed to install its preferred candidate as the CM even after the initial reports said that an overwhelming number of MLAs supported Venugopal as the candidate. On Thursday morning, Venugopal met former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for an exclusive meeting. He left the venue without answering to media queries. Earlier, it was planned to announce the CM at a Congress legkislatitvparty meeting in Kerala. But the High Command later changed the plan and the name was announced at a press conference at 24 Akbar Road here on Thursday. Posters appeared in Kerala, particularly in Wayanad- Priyanka Gandhi's constituency- warning against appointing Venugopal as the CM. One of the posters read that On Wednesday, after a meeting between senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal - one of the three front-runners for then CM's post, Congress's communication chief Jairam Ramesh said, "As authorised by the members of the CLP in Kerala, the Congress high command has completed all discussions and the decision on the next Kerala CM will be announced tomorrow.'' The meeting came amid reports from Kerala that a large number of Congress activists have gathered at Satheensan's house in Aluva and the party's district offices. In the past ten days, Congress observers Mukul Wasnik and Ajay Maken consulted the MLAs and MPs, Gandhi spoke to Satheesan, and on Tuesday, Gandhi met senior Congress leaders from Kerala to end the logjam over the selection of the chief minister of the UDF. Out of nine, six leaders have supported Venugopal's candidature while two backed VD Satheesan and one took a neutral stand. While many Congress MLAs and all but one Lok Sabha MP of Congress backed Venugopal, Satheesan has refused to budge and remained a strong contender. In his meeting with Gandhi, the outgoing LoP said that he never got involved in any groups and feared that when time comes, Venugopal, using his clout as the general secretary, would become the CM. Gandhi, however, reminded that an overwhelming number of MLAs, MPs and former PCC chiefs had supported Venugopal for the CM's post. IUML leader ET Md Basheer said, "We have told the Congress to take into account the public sentiments and how UDF supporters might react. We have also said that a leader who has mass support should be made the CM," indicating support for Satheesan. The chief minister also thanked Congress general secretary K C Venugopal for coordinating the AICC efforts and supporting all party activities which helped it achieve a huge victory in the assembly polls in the state. He also thanked senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who worked as the campaign committee chairman, for his role in the party's win, saying "he is also my leader ". Meanwhile, the BJP in Kerala alleged that the state would be effectively governed by the IUML for the next five years. The BJP shared multiple memes through its official social media pages targeting the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leadership. In one such meme shared on the BJP Kerala Facebook page, IUML state president Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal was depicted at the centre, with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge shown bowing before him, while Satheesan was portrayed as fanning him. In a Facebook post, the BJP claimed that, despite not having majority support among Congress MLAs, Satheesan was chosen under pressure from the IUML. The post further alleged that the IUML was seeking to push its demands, including that of a "new religious district", and required a leadership that would comply with its interests. In another post, Thangal was depicted playing percussion, while Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and K C Venugopal were shown as being uneasy. In the same post, the BJP said that over the next five years Kerala would have a Chief Minister "dancing to the tune of the League"....