Thiruvananthapuram: Marking a historic political shift in the state, Congress leader VD Satheesan was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Kerala on Monday. The ceremony officially brings the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) back to power after a 10-year hiatus following its landslide victory in the 2026 Assembly elections.
Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to Satheesan and his 20-member Cabinet.
The ceremony saw a massive turnout of senior political leaders, signalling the national significance of the UDF’s victory. The event was attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal.
It also included Congress Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers such as Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, Revanth Reddy and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
Former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, former Assembly Speaker AN Shamseer, Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar and CPI leader Binoy Viswam also attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Alongside Satheesan, a 20-member Cabinet took oath. Satheesan noted that the government formation was completed in under 24 hours, the fastest in Kerala’s history, while carefully managing regional and social demographics.
“We have discussed with the coalition partners… and within 24 hours, we have completed the entire process,” Satheesan said. “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.”
The 20-member Cabinet includes senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan and KPCC chief Sunny Joseph, along with Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders PK Kunhalikutty, PK Basheer, N Samsudheen, KM Shaji and VE Abdul Gafoor.
Other ministers, including 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, also took oath.
Satheesan had announced that senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan will serve as Speaker of the Assembly, while Shanimol Usman will be the Deputy Speaker. MLA Apu John Joseph has been appointed as the Government Chief Whip.
Satheesan also said 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 unfortunately, we have to consider the social and regional balance and the representation of women and Dalit representation. We are not able to include all the eligible persons in the Cabinet. We have included two members from the SC, and women’s representation has been ensured,” he said.
The swearing-in ceremony comes after the UDF secured a decisive mandate in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, ending the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) 10-year rule in the state.
Satheesan won the 2026 Assembly election from the Paravur constituency, securing his sixth consecutive term as an MLA. He secured 78,658 votes and defeated CPI candidate ET Taison Master by a margin of 20,600 votes. He has represented the constituency for 25 years, first winning the seat in 2001.
Born in 1964 in Nettoor near Kochi, Satheesan is a lawyer by profession. He began his political journey through the Kerala Students Union (KSU) and later became active in the Youth Congress.
He also served as the Vice President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee and succeeded Ramesh Chennithala as the Leader of the Opposition after the 2021 Kerala Assembly election.
As the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly since 2021, Satheesan emerged as a prominent face of the UDF campaign against the ruling Left government. He has been a vocal critic of the state government on various political and governance issues.
Earlier in the day, Ramesh Chennithala said the government would implement the five guarantees announced by Rahul Gandhi during the Assembly election campaign.
The five guarantees include free bus travel for women, Rs 1,000 monthly assistance for college-going girls, welfare pensions of Rs 3,000, Rs 25 lakh Oommen Chandy Health Insurance coverage for every family, and interest-free loans up to Rs 5 lakh for small businesses.
Ahead of the oath-taking ceremony, several leaders designated as ministers expressed gratitude to the party leadership and assured that the new government would work to fulfil the promises made to the people.
The UDF registered a landslide victory in the 2026 Assembly elections, winning 102 seats in the 140-member House. The Indian National Congress emerged as the single-largest party with 63 seats, while the IUML won 22 seats. The LDF was reduced to 35 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party won three constituencies.
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