CM-elect Satheesan announces Kerala Cabinet, 21 ministers to take oath today

VD Satheesan unveiled the 21-member Cabinet and said the full UDF ministry would take oath at 10 am on Monday. He said the list balanced social and regional representation, with portfolio talks almost complete.

In Short

• Oath ceremony set for 10 am; first full UDF Cabinet in six decades
• Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan named Speaker, Shanimol Usman Deputy
• Senior leaders from Congress and other states expected at ceremony

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is set to assume power in Kerala on Monday as senior Congress leader VD Satheesan takes oath as the state’s new Chief Minister at a grand swearing-in ceremony in Thiruvananthapuram. Along with Satheesan, a 20-member Council of Ministers will also be sworn in, marking the return of the UDF government after a decade in opposition.

The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled to be held at the Central Stadium in the Kerala capital at 10 am, with top Congress leaders, chief ministers from Congress-ruled states, alliance leaders and thousands of party workers expected to attend the event.

Satheesan’s elevation comes after the UDF registered a sweeping victory in the Assembly elections, winning 102 seats in the 140-member House and decisively defeating the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), which had been in power for two consecutive terms under Pinarayi Vijayan.

On Sunday, Satheesan unveiled his full Cabinet ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the new government in the state. The new ministry reflects a blend of experience and generational change, with 14 of the 20 ministers entering the Cabinet for the first time, signalling the Congress leadership’s bid to project a fresh political face in Kerala. The ministry also ensures representation for alliance partners and diverse communities, including women and Scheduled Caste leaders.

Addressing a press conference, Satheesan said the oath-taking ceremony would take place at 10 am and noted that, after six decades, an entire UDF Cabinet would take the oath together.

“After 60 years, the entire UDF cabinet is set to take the oath tomorrow at 10 AM. We have completed the entire process within 24 hours, a feat unprecedented in the history of Kerala. This was possible because, even after the elections, Team UDF remains Team UDF. The leaders respect each other,” he said.

Satheesan said the alliance had submitted the list of 20 ministers to the Governor and added that, including himself, 21 ministers would take oath on Monday. He said the Congress party would have 11 Cabinet ministers in the new government.

He said the Cabinet list was finalised after discussions among alliance leaders and with the approval of the Congress high command. According to Satheesan, the coalition took into account social and regional balance while selecting ministers.

The Congress nominees in the Cabinet are VD Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan, Sunny Joseph, Bindhu Krishna, AP Anil Kumar, PC Vishnunadh, M Liju, Roji M John, T Siddique, OJ Janeesh and KA Thulasi.

The IUML ministers in the Cabinet are PK Kunhalikutty, PK Basheer, N Shamsudeen, KM Shaji and VE Abdul Gafoor.

The other ministers are Mons Joseph from Kerala Congress, Shibu Baby John from RSP, Anoop Jacob from Kerala Congress (Jacob), and CP John from CMP.

The UDF also decided to appoint senior legislator Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan as Speaker of the Assembly, while Shanimol Usman will serve as Deputy Speaker.

The swearing-in ceremony is expected to turn into a major political show of strength for the Congress-led alliance. Satheesan said senior Congress leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are expected to attend the event.

He said Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar would also participate in the ceremony.

Satheesan added that Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, CPI leader Binoy Viswam and several other political leaders had also been invited and were expected to attend.

When asked whether Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay would attend the swearing-in ceremony, Satheesan said, “No, till now there is no information that he will be coming".

Satheesan, a six-time MLA, was chosen by the Congress high command to lead the government after 10 days of intense deliberations, with senior leaders KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala also emerging as top contenders for the post. However, the party eventually decided to go with the popular choice, Satheesan, who led the UDF to a thumping majority in the April 9 Assembly polls.

- Ends