Within days of each other, the two new Chief Ministers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu did something worth pausing on. Both men, fresh from election victories over long-entrenched opponents, drove to their predecessors’ homes — not for politics, but for tea.
V.D. Satheesan, Kerala’s Chief Minister-designate, arrived at Pinarayi Vijayan’s rented residence at Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram shortly after noon on Friday. He was received by Vijayan, his wife Kamala, daughter Veena, and family members. The two then sat down for a cup of green tea — a meeting observers described as relaxed and cordial despite years of bitter political rivalry.
The role reversal framing was impossible to miss: Pinarayi, who served as Chief Minister for ten years, now takes over as Leader of the Opposition, while Satheesan — who spent those same years facing him across the Assembly floor as LoP — prepares to occupy the Chief Minister’s office.
Satheesan explained the visit plainly. “I came to see him as he is the senior most Kerala politician and was Chief Minister for a decade. I came to seek support as we have to go together for developing Kerala. Governments are a continuing affair.” He also invited Vijayan to his swearing-in. Vijayan, known for his guarded public demeanour, did not elaborate before the media — smiling faintly and responding with an “okay, okay” as he saw the incoming Chief Minister off.
Satheesan was visibly emotional at one other stop that day — the residence of late Congress stalwart G. Karthikeyan, whom he credits with pulling him back into mainstream politics and pushing him to contest the Assembly in 1996 and 2001.
Vijay’s Move in Chennai
The parallel in Tamil Nadu was just as striking. A day after being sworn in as Chief Minister, C. Joseph Vijay paid a courtesy visit to DMK President and former CM M.K. Stalin at his Alwarpet residence in Chennai on Monday afternoon. Stalin welcomed Vijay at the door, the two shared a hug, and Udhayanidhi Stalin greeted the new CM with a handshake. Vijay and Stalin then exchanged silk shawls and bouquets as a mark of mutual respect.
The backstory made the warmth notable. Vijay and the DMK had fought an acrimonious electoral battle, with Vijay alleging the previous government left the state treasury burdened with ₹10 lakh crore in debt — a claim Stalin pushed back against sharply after the swearing-in. Neither Vijay nor his party issued a formal statement about the visit; sources described it simply as a courtesy call.
Vijay’s rise marks the first time since 1967 that a Chief Minister from outside the direct DMK or AIADMK fold has taken power in Tamil Nadu. Going to Stalin’s house first, on the day he was sworn in as an MLA, was a signal — that whatever was said during the campaign stays there.
Two states, two new governments, two rivals’ doorsteps. Satheesan takes oath as Kerala Chief Minister on May 18 at 10 AM at Lok Bhavan. Vijay is already in office. The tea has been had. The real work starts now.
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