From Chandy to Vijayan: Can He Emerge Politically Unscathed?

October 18, 2026

Can former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan emerge from a barrage of investigations with his political reputation intact, as Oommen Chandy did when the tables turned on the Left in 2016? That is the question hanging over Kerala politics as Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan opens several fronts against the previous government. In Kerala, a change of government almost invariably brings a change of investigative priorities.

The new dispensation examines the decisions of its predecessor, revisits old allegations and promises accountability. But the political dividends of such probes are not always guaranteed.

When Vijayan took office in May 2016, his government ordered a review of controversial decisions taken by the outgoing Oommen Chandy government from January that year.

The move raised expectations of major revelations against the Congress-led United Democratic Front. Yet the scrutiny did not deliver the sweeping political gains the Left had anticipated, and several allegations failed to produce the decisive outcomes expected by its leaders.

Satheesan now faces a similar test, with investigations announced into the Messi event controversy, alleged irregularities in PSC appointments and the soon-to-be-announced probe into the functioning of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).

The government has also suspended police officers, including an ADGP, over alleged excesses against Youth Congress workers, signalling that accountability will extend beyond financial and administrative decisions.

The KIIFB inquiry could prove particularly consequential. Satheesan has alleged that the institution operated beyond normal government and Finance Department controls.

The government must now establish whether the reported irregularities warrant further action, rather than allowing the issue to remain another political accusation.

For Vijayan, however, the CMRL-Exalogic case involving his daughter, T. Veena, presents a more immediate challenge. The case originated with the ED, not the Satheesan government.