VS Achuthanandan served at many positions in his long political life. He was the Kerala State Secretary of the CPI(M) between 1980 and 1992 and had become a member of the Politburo in 1985. He has also been active in parliamentary politics, was elected as a member of Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1967, 1970, 1991, 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 1992 to 1996, from 2001 to 2006 and from 2011 to 2016. He was the editor of the Deshabhimani daily, the journal of the CPI(M) in Malayalam. In elections to the State Legislative Assembly in 1996, the LDF gained 80 out of 140 seats, but Achuthanandan, who contested from Mararikulam in Alappuzha district, lost by a margin of 1965 votes. This paved way for E.K. Nayanar, who had held that position twice earlier, to become Chief Minister again.

Chief Ministership

During the assembly elections held in Kerala in April–May 2006, VS Achuthanandan defeated Satheesan Pacheni of the United Democratic Front by a margin of 20,017 votes in Malampuzha constituency in Palakkad district. He was sworn in as the 11th Chief Minister of Kerala on 18th May 2006, with his 21-member cabinet. At the age of 82 years and 7 months on that occasion, he was the most senior Chief Minister of Kerala, and one among the most senior chief ministers in India.