NEW DELHI: V D Satheesan took oath as Kerala chief minister on Monday at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, marking the return of the Congress-led United Democratic Front to power after a decade.Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to Satheesan and his 20-member council of ministers. Meanwhile, 14 ministers in the new cabinet are first-time ministers.Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge along with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with several leaders from Congress-ruled states, attended the ceremony. Outgoing chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar were also present on stage, with Satheesan greeting leaders across party lines after taking oath.The new cabinet includes senior Congress figures such as Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sunny Joseph. The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has five ministers in the government, including P K Kunhalikutty, K M Shaji, P K Basheer, N Shamsudheen and V E Abdul Gafoor.Other ministers include Mons Joseph, Shibu Baby John, Anoop Jacob, C P John, A P Anilkumar, T Siddique, P C Vishnunadh, Roji M John, Bindhu Krishna, M Lijju, K A Thulasi and O J Janeesh. Satheesan also announced Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan as Speaker, Shanimol Usman as Deputy Speaker and Apu John Joseph as Government Chief Whip.The UDF secured a decisive mandate in the assembly elections, winning 102 of Kerala’s 140 seats. Congress emerged as the single-largest party with 63 seats, while the IUML won 22. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) was reduced to 35 seats, while the BJP won three constituencies.Satheesan, widely credited with leading the Congress comeback in Kerala after two successive LDF terms, emerged as the chief ministerial choice after intense internal deliberations within the Congress. The party’s central leadership had reportedly favoured Congress general secretary K C Venugopal for the post, but strong backing from grassroots workers, the IUML and public sentiment eventually tilted the decision in Satheesan’s favour.
