VD Satheesan sworn in as Keralam CM as UDF returns to power after 10 years with a landslide 2026 victory. Photo: ANI.
Congress leader VD Satheesan was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Keralam on Monday. The ceremony officially brings the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) back to power after a ten-year hiatus, following their landslide victory in the 2026 Assembly elections. Keralam Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to Satheesan and his 20-member Cabinet. The ceremony saw a massive turnout of top political heavyweights, signalling the national significance of the UDF’s victory. The event was attended by: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, MP Priyanka Gandhi, and General Secretary KC Venugopal.
It included Congress Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers like Siddaramaiah (Karnataka), alongside Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, Revanth Reddy (Telangana), and Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh).
Former Keralam CM Pinarayi Vijayan, former Assembly Speaker AN Shamsheer, Keralam BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and CPI leader Binoy Viswam also attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Alongside Satheesan, a 20-member Cabinet took the oath. Satheesan noted that 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.”
His 20-member Cabinet was also sworn in, including 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 the 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 the Scheduled Castes, were key considerations in the 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 Keralam 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.
Satheesan secured 78,658 votes and defeated CPI candidate ET Taison Master by a margin of 20,600 votes. He has represented the Paravur constituency for 25 years, having first won 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 Congress leader 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 United Democratic Front (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, senior Congress leader 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 1000 monthly assistance for college-going girls, welfare pensions of Rs 3000, 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 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 BJP won three constituencies.
(With inputs from ANI)
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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