GUWAHATI: The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) returned to power in Keralam after a decade as senior Congress leader V. D. Satheesan was sworn in as the Chief Minister on Monday, May 18, at a grand ceremony held at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
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Keralam Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to Satheesan and the 20-member Council of Ministers at 10 AM.
The Congress secured 11 berths in the new Cabinet. The party’s ministers include Ramesh Chennithala, Sunny Joseph, K. Muraleedharan, A. P. Anil Kumar, P. C. Vishnunadh, T. Siddique, Bindu Krishna, K. A. Thulasi, Roji M. John, M. Liju and O. J. Janeesh.
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key ally in the UDF, inducted five ministers into the Cabinet — P. K. Kunhalikutty, N. Shamsudeen, K. M. Shaji, P. K. Basheer and V. E. Abdul Gafoor.
Other coalition partners in the UDF were also represented in the Cabinet. Mons Joseph from Kerala Congress (Joseph), Shibu Baby John of the Revolutionary Socialist Party, Anoop Jacob from Kerala Congress (Jacob), and C. P. John of the Communist Marxist Party were sworn in as ministers.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by several senior Congress leaders from across the country, underlining the political significance of the UDF’s electoral victory. Among those present were Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi, MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress general secretary K. C. Venugopal.
The UDF registered a decisive win in the recently concluded Keralam Assembly elections, ending the decade-long rule of the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF). In the 140-member Assembly, the UDF secured 102 seats, while the LDF won 35 and the BJP managed 3 seats. The elections were held on April 9, with results declared on May 4.