Thiruvananthapuram: Veteran Congress leader VD Satheesan was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Kerala on Monday, formally ushering the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) back to power after a decade.
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 61-year-old leader at a grand ceremony held at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
Top Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, attended the swearing-in ceremony along with senior leaders from across the country.
After taking oath, Satheesan greeted leaders present on the stage, including outgoing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar. He also met Congress chief ministers and senior party functionaries who had arrived for the event.
Satheesan’s elevation to the top post came after days of intense deliberations within the Congress leadership following the UDF’s emphatic victory in the Kerala Assembly elections. Widely credited as the key strategist behind the Congress-led alliance’s comeback after two consecutive terms of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), Satheesan had emerged as the preferred choice of party workers and alliance partners, particularly the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
However, the final decision reportedly took longer as sections of the Congress central leadership were believed to be backing KC Venugopal, the party’s General Secretary (Organisation), for the chief minister’s post.
The leadership tussle triggered political discussions across the state, with supporters openly backing Satheesan through posters and public campaigns. The matter was eventually resolved after consultations among senior Congress leaders, paving the way for Satheesan’s appointment.
Along with the Chief Minister, a 20-member Council of Ministers also took oath.
The Congress has 11 ministers in the new Cabinet, including senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, who was also seen as a contender for the chief minister’s post. Other Congress ministers are Sunny Joseph, K Muraleedharan, AP Anil Kumar, PC Vishnunadh, Roji M John, Bindu Krishna, M Liju, T Siddique, KA Thulasi and O J Janeesh.
The IUML secured five berths in the ministry with PK Kunhalikutty, KM Shaji, VE Abdul Gafoor, N Shamsudheen and PK Basheer taking oath as ministers.
The remaining ministers are Mons Joseph from Kerala Congress (Joseph), Shibu Baby John from the Revolutionary Socialist Party, Anoop Jacob from Kerala Congress (Jacob) and CP John from the Communist Marxist Party.
The new Cabinet features a significant number of first-time ministers, with 14 fresh faces included in the ministry. Among the newcomers are IUML leaders N Shamsudheen, KM Shaji, PK Basheer and VE Abdul Gafoor, along with Congress leaders PC Vishnunadh, Roji M John, Bindu Krishna, T Siddique, KA Thulasi and O J Janeesh.
The UDF returned to power with a sweeping mandate in the 140-member Kerala Assembly, winning 102 seats. The Congress emerged as the single-largest party with 63 seats, while the LDF was reduced to 35 seats.
