Published May 14, 2026 | 7:21 PM ⚊ Updated May 14, 2026 | 7:21 PM
Pinarayi Vijayan
Synopsis: With the UDF returning to power in the 2026 Assembly election and Satheesan set to assume office as Chief Minister, Pinarayi is now poised to take charge of the Opposition benches, completing a rare political crossover at the top of Kerala’s legislative hierarchy.
In a formal announcement, CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan said the party’s state committee unanimously elected Pinarayi Vijayan as the leader of the legislature party. With this Pinarayi Vijayan will become the Leader of the Opposition in the 16th Kerala Legislative Assembly.
He will lead the opposition bench comprising 35 legislators against the treasury bench comprising 102 members.
The announcement also posed a striking political role reversal in Kerala, marking a dramatic shift from the previous Assembly term.
In the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly, VD Satheesan served as the Leader of the Opposition while Pinarayi Vijayan headed the LDF government as Chief Minister.
With the UDF returning to power in the 2026 Assembly election and Satheesan set to assume office as Chief Minister, Pinarayi is now poised to take charge of the Opposition benches, completing a rare political crossover at the top of Kerala’s legislative hierarchy.
For years, Pinarayi Vijayan has been the axis around which the CPI(M) in Kerala revolved. As party secretary for over a decade and later as the only leader in the state to secure consecutive terms as Chief Minister, his imprint on the party’s modern trajectory is undeniable.
That centrality, once seen as strength, is now under scrutiny after a bruising electoral defeat.
The numbers tell part of the story.
From 62 seats in 2021, the party has slumped to 26, a fall that brings it uncomfortably close to its 2001 nadir.
Also Read: Post rout, CPI(M) leans on Pinarayi—yet LDF’s Assembly question stays open
