Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], May 18 (ANI): Marking a historic political shift in the state, Congress leader VD Satheesan was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Keralam on Monday.
The ceremony brings the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) back to power after a ten-year hiatus, following its landslide victory in the 2026 Assembly elections.
Keralam Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to Satheesan and his 20-member Cabinet. The event witnessed the presence of several senior political leaders, highlighting the national significance of the UDF’s return to power.
Among those in attendance were Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and KC Venugopal. Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers from Congress-ruled states, including Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar from Karnataka, Revanth Reddy from Telangana, and Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu from Himachal Pradesh, were also present.
Former Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, former Assembly Speaker AN Shamsheer, Keralam BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and CPI leader Binoy Viswam attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Alongside Satheesan, the 20-member Cabinet took oath. He stated that the government formation was completed in under 24 hours, describing it as the fastest in the state’s history, while ensuring social and regional balance.
'We have discussed with the coalition partners... and within 24 hours, we have completed the entire process. We have to consider the social and regional balance and the representation of women and Dalit representation... We have included two members from the SC, and women's representation has been ensured,' Satheesan said.
The Cabinet includes senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan, and KPCC chief Sunny Joseph, along with Indian Union Muslim League leaders PK Kunhalikutty, PK Basheer, N Samsudheen, KM Shaji, and VE Abdul Gafoor. Other ministers include Mons Joseph, Shibu Baby John, Anoop Jacob, CP John, AP Anil Kumar, T Siddique, PC Vishnunath, Roji M John, Bindu Krishna, M Liju, KA Thulasi, and O J Janeesh.
Satheesan announced that Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan will serve as the Speaker of the Assembly, while Shanimol Usman will be the Deputy Speaker. MLA Apu John Joseph has been appointed as the Government Chief Whip.
He reiterated that social and regional balance, along with representation for women and Scheduled Castes, were key considerations in Cabinet formation.
'We have 63 MLAs, some are more eligible than others, but we have to consider social and regional balance and representation. We are not able to include all eligible persons in the Cabinet. We have included two members from the SC, and women's representation has been ensured,' he added.
The swearing-in follows the UDF’s decisive mandate in the 2026 Keralam Assembly elections, ending the Left Democratic Front’s 10-year rule.
Satheesan won from the Paravur constituency, securing his sixth consecutive term as an MLA. He polled 78,658 votes, defeating CPI candidate ET Taison Master by a margin of 20,600 votes. He has represented the constituency since 2001.
Born in 1964 in Nettoor near Kochi, Satheesan is a lawyer by profession. He began his political career through the Kerala Students Union and later became active in the Youth Congress. He served as Vice President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee and became Leader of the Opposition after the 2021 Assembly elections.
As Leader of the Opposition since 2021, Satheesan emerged as a prominent face of the UDF campaign against the ruling Left government.
Earlier, Ramesh Chennithala said the government would implement the five guarantees announced by Rahul Gandhi during the election campaign. These include free bus travel for women, INR 1000 monthly assistance for college-going girls, welfare pensions of INR 3000, INR 25 lakh health insurance coverage for every family under the Oommen Chandy scheme, and interest-free loans up to INR 5 lakh for small businesses.
The UDF secured a landslide victory, winning 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly. The Congress emerged as the single-largest party with 63 seats, while the IUML won 22 seats. The LDF was reduced to 35 seats, and the BJP won three constituencies. (ANI)