Kerala CM VD Satheesan holds first cabinet meeting after assuming office

Thiruvananthapuram: Shortly after taking charge as the Chief Minister of Keralam, VD Satheesan on Monday held the first meeting of his Cabinet.

Congress leader VD Satheesan was sworn in as Chief Minister earlier in the day, officially bringing the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) back to power after a decade-long gap, following its decisive victory in the 2026 Assembly elections.

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Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to Satheesan and his 20-member Cabinet at a ceremony held in Thiruvananthapuram.

The event witnessed a large gathering of senior political leaders, highlighting the national significance of the UDF’s return to power. It was attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and General Secretary KC Venugopal.

Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers from Congress-ruled states, including Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, were also present.

Former Keralam Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, former Assembly Speaker AN Shamseer, Keralam BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and CPI leader Binoy Viswam also attended the swearing-in ceremony.

20-member cabinet sworn in

Alongside Chief Minister VD Satheesan, a 20-member Cabinet was sworn in. IUML leader PK Kunhalikutty was the first minister to take oath after the Chief Minister.

Senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala, Sunny Joseph, and K Muraleedharan also took oath as ministers in the new government.

Senior alliance leaders Mons Joseph (Kerala Congress) and Shibu Baby John (RSP), both constituents of the UDF alliance, were also sworn in.

Congress leaders Anoop Jacob, CP John, and AP Anil Kumar took oath, along with IUML leader N Samsudheen.

MLAs PC Vishnunath and Roji M John were also inducted into the Cabinet.

Congress leaders Bindu Krishna and M Liju joined the new ministry, while IUML leaders KM Shaji, PK Basheer, and VE Abdul Gafoor were among those sworn in, alongside PK Kunhalikutty and N Samsudheen.

Other ministers include T Siddique, KA Thulasi, and OJ Janeesh.

Assembly roles announced

Ahead of the ceremony, Satheesan announced that senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan will serve as Speaker of the Assembly, while Shanimol Usman will be Deputy Speaker. MLA Apu John Joseph has been appointed Government Chief Whip.

Focus on representation and balance

Satheesan said social and regional balance, along with representation for women and Scheduled Castes, were key priorities in cabinet formation.

“We have 63 MLAs. While some are more eligible than others, we had to consider social and regional balance and representation of women and Dalits. We have included two members from the SC community, and women’s representation has been ensured,” he said.

Decisive mandate ends LDF rule

The swearing-in follows the UDF’s decisive victory in the 2026 Keralam Assembly elections, ending the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) 10-year rule in the state.

Satheesan’s political journey

Satheesan won from the Paravur constituency, securing his sixth consecutive Assembly victory with 78,658 votes, defeating CPI candidate ET Taison Master by a margin of 20,600 votes. He has represented Paravur for 25 years, first winning in 2001.

Born in 1964 in Nettoor near Kochi, he is a lawyer by profession. He began his political career through the Kerala Students Union (KSU) and later became active in the Youth Congress.

He also served as Vice President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee before succeeding Ramesh Chennithala as Leader of the Opposition after the 2021 Kerala Assembly election.

As Leader of the Opposition since 2021, Satheesan emerged as a prominent face of the UDF campaign against the ruling Left government and has been a vocal critic on key governance and political issues.