Congress leader V.D. Satheesan took oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala at 10 a.m. at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday (May 18, 2026), taking helm of the State’s UDF Government.
Also read | The rise of Satheesan: What it means for the Congress, Muslim League and Kerala politics
Along with Mr. Satheesan, memebers of the the UDF Cabinet were sworn in.
Congress will have 11 Ministers in the Cabinet – 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.
Five Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MLAs — P.K. Kunhalikutty, N. Shamsudeen, K.M. Shaji, P.K. Basheer and V.E. Abdul Gafoor – will be sworn in as Ministers.
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 are the Ministers-designate from the other coalition partners in the UDF.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi attended the swearing-in ceremony. Extensive arrangements were made for the swearing-in ceremony, where the Governor administered the oath of office to Mr. Satheesan and his Cabinet.
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Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar hosted the newly sworn-in Ministers for a tea gathering at the Lok Bhavan.
Following the oath-taking ceremony at Central Stadium, which concluded around 11.30 a.m., the ministers headed to Lok Bhavan.
After the event, the ministers are scheduled to proceed to the State Secretariat, where the first Cabinet meeting will be held.
As Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and 20 ministers were sworn in by Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, two Cabinet members chose to “solemnly affirm” instead of taking the oath in the name of God.
Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader Shibu Baby John was the first to make a solemn affirmation rather than take the oath in the name of God.
Similarly, Communist Marxist Party (CMP) leader C.P. John also solemnly affirmed his oath.
Both leaders belong to parties that follow left-socialist ideologies but are part of the UDF.
Meanwhile, all other ministers took oath in Malayalam, while senior Congress leader K. Muraleedharan was the only one sworn in in English. He took both the oath of office and oath of secrecy in English.
Senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel described the Kerala swearing-in ceremony as a significant occasion, calling it a “big day” for the State.
Addressing reporters on the sidelines of the ceremony, Mr. Baghel said the formation of the government after a decade was an important political development.
“The government has formed here after 10 years, so it is definitely a big day... Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi’s presence here will increase the happiness,” Mr. Baghel told reporters.
Senior Congress leader V.D. Satheesan was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Kerala along with 20 Ministers at a ceremony held at a packed Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday (May 18, 2026). Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Satheesan and the Ministers-designate over a one-hour ceremony that commenced around 10.15 a.m.
Read the report here:
V.D. Satheesan is sworn in as Kerala's new Chief Minister, leading a 20-member Congress cabinet in a grand ceremony.
”Government assures all possible support for the newly formed Keralam Government in fulfilling the aspirations of the people,” PM Modi said while congratulating V.D. Satheesan
The swearing-in ceremony of the Kerala Ministers has ended.
The National Song Vande Mataram and the National Anthem Jana Gana Mana are sung to mark the end of the event.
Congress MLAs T. Siddique, K.A. Thulasi and O.J. Janeesh are the last ones to take oath of office as Ministers at the ceremony today.
IUML leaders K.M. Shaji, P.K. Basheer and V.E. Abdul Gafoor are the next to be sworn in as Ministers in the Government.
They join fellow party leaders P.K. Kunhalikutty and N. Shamsudeen to be inducted into V.D. Satheesan’s Cabinet.
Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, party MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K.C. Venugopal and others during the swearing-in ceremony of the State government, in Thiruvananthapuram on May 18, 2026. Photo: PTI Videos
Congress leaders Bindu Krishna and M. Liju take oath of office as Ministers in the UDF government.
On Sunday evening (May 17), V.D. Satheesan read out the names of the Ministers-designate after calling on Governor Rajendra Arlekar at the Lok Bhavan to hand over the list of Ministers.
Addressing a press conference, Mr. Satheesan said portfolio allocation was being given final touches. The details would be shared with the Governor after the swearing-in ceremony and will be published through a government gazette.
Mr. Satheesan said a “complete Cabinet” will be sworn in together for the first time in 60 years. He pointed out that the Cabinet has two women and two Ministers from the Scheduled Caste communities.
Congress MLAs P.C. Vishnunadh and Roji M. John are sworn in as Ministers by the Governor.
Congress MLA A.P. Anil Kumar and IUML’s N. Shamsudeen are the next to be sworn in as Ministers.
In a clear-cut mandate, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won the 2026 Assembly election in Kerala with a vote share that is the coalition’s highest since the 2001 election. After a decade in Opposition, the UDF has been rewarded with a 46.55% vote share, surpassed only by its 2001 performance of 49.05%. It’s a gain of 7.67 percentage points over its 2021 vote share. The jump has translated into a seat gain of 62, taking the UDF to 102 seats in 2026, nearly three-fourths of the 140 seats in the Assembly.
Read the Data story here:
Haemorrhaging vote shares across regions, the CPI(M)-led LDF registers its lowest vote share tally since 1982; Congress and IUML led the UDF surge with the former winning 63 seats, and the latter securing 22.
UDF coalition members Anoop Jacob from Kerala Congress (Jacob) and C.P. John of the Communist Marxist Party are the next to be administered the oath of office and secrecy as Ministers, by Governor Arlekar.
Mons Joseph from the Kerala Congress (Joseph) and Shibu Baby John of the Revolutionary Socialist Party. The two parties contested as part of the United Democratic Front (UDF) alliance in the Assembly elections.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunny Joseph and Congress MLA K. Muraleedharan take oath of office and secrecy.
Congress MLA Ramesh Chennithala is the next to take oath as Minister.
Mr. Chennithala was among the top contenders for the post of Chief Minister, before the party announced Mr. Satheesan as its pick.
Indian Union Muslim League national general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty is the first to take oath of office, after V.D. Satheesan.
Read: Why IUML firmly backed V.D. Satheesan for Kerala Chief Minister
Congress leader V.D. Satheesan took oath of office and secrecy of the post of Chief Minister of Kerala, administered to him by Governer R.V. Arlekar
Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, right, administers the oath of office to V.D. Satheesan, left, as the State Chief Minister during the swearing-in ceremony, in Thiruvananthapuram.
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has arrived at the venue.
The ceremony commences with singing of Vande Mataram.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel are among the prominent dignitaries who have arrived from other States to participate in the event. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has also arrived. -- Sarath Babu George
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and the Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other Congress leaders arrive in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, ahead of the swearing-in ceremony.
Among those on stage are BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and State secretary, Communist Party of India State secretary Binoy Viswam. Former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who has been chosen to become the Leader of Opposition, has also arrived. -- Sarath Babu George
Chief Minister-designate V.D. Satheesan and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala have arrived at the stage to a rousing ovation just minutes before the swearing-in ceremony. -- Sarath Babu George
Leaders of the Indian Union Muslim League, led by State president Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal, along with the five MLA-elects offered ministerial berths, P.K. Kunhalikutty, N. Shamsudheen, K.M. Shaji, P.K. Basheer, and V.E. Abdul Gafoor, have arrived at the venue. -- Sarath Babu George
The Ministers-designate have begun to arrive for the swearing-in ceremony. Kerala Congress leader Mons Joseph, who has been offered a ministerial berth, has reached the venue with party chairman P.J. Joseph. -- Sarath Babu George
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar will be attending the swearing in of the V.D. Satheesan and his Cabinet in Thiruvananthapuram. -- The Hindu Bureau
Minister-designate Ramesh Chennithala, who was a strong contender for the Chief Minister’s post, said he had joined the V.D. Satheesan government at the instance of the “Congress high-command, party workers, and my constituents in Haripad Assembly segment”.
Speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Mr. Chennithala said he was in “two minds about taking up a Ministerial responsibility”.
When asked whether there was any tug-of-war between him and Mr. Satheesan over the Home portfolio, Mr. Chennithala said: “I was a Minister in the K. Karunakaran government at the age of 28. Later, I was the Home Minister in the Oommen Chandy Cabinet (2011-16). I have represented Haripad for the past 30 years, and each Assembly election, my winning margin has increased significantly. Given my political and administrative experience, Mr. Satheesan asked me to take any portfolio I liked”, he added.
When asked whether he felt down that his loyalists, Anward Sadat and T.J. Vinod, both designated MLAs, were not accommodated in the Cabinet, Mr. Chennithala said: “Many deserving leaders remained outside the government”.
He noted that Congress had only 11 Ministers in the 21-member cabinet, and it was impossible to accommodate all those who deserved to be in the political executive.
Mr. Chennithala said that as Home Minister, he would stress on upholding peace and social harmony in the State. -- G. Anand
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka are in Kerala to attend the swearing in ceremony of the Kerala Chief Minister designate V.D. Satheesan. -- The Hindu Bureau
Kerala Minister-designate K Muraleedharan denied reports that he was dissatisfied over the allocation of portfolios
Speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram, Mr Muraleedharan said Chief Minister-designate V. D. Satheesan had allocated him Health and Devaswom as promised earlier.
Mr. Muraleedharan promised a new Medical College Hospital for Thiruvananthapuram and further upgradation of Primary Health Centres.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the High Court-monitored Special Investigation Team enquiry into the Sabarimala Gold Theft case and said the cabinet would take a final call on the matter.
Mr. Muraleedharan said he would wipe out corruption in State-owned temples. “The government would allow none to siphon off temple property”, he added.
-- The Hindu Bureau
On a day that seemed freighted with the sense of history in the making, large crowds began massing at the landmark Central Stadium in Kerala’s capital, Thiruvananthapuram, on Monday to witness the swearing-in of a United Democratic Front (UDF) government after a 10-year hiatus.
Buoyant UDF workers with entry passes formed long lines at the security gates manned by police officers and anti-sabotage teams to enter the stadium, where State officials had erected an expansive marquee to accommodate the enthusiastic crowds.
A strange alchemy seemed to pervade the atmosphere as workers shouted slogans as their favourite leaders entered the stadium one after another, hours ahead of the official ceremony presided over by Kerala Rajendra Arlerkar at 10 a.m.
Scores of spectators also lined the road leading to the stadium to catch a glimpse of the Chief Minister-designate V.D. Satheesan’s motorcade pass by.
UDF workers from across the State had filed into the capital by bus, train and car since Sunday morning to witness the new government assuming office.
Congress workers and the general public have filled the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram two hours before the swearing-in ceremony of the Congress-led United Democratic Front government, headed by V.D. Satheesan.
A huge pavilion has been set up at the stadium, which is situated just behind the State Secretariat.
The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. The police have placed barricades on roads leading to the Stadium to control the flow of people.
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) will get five ministerial berths in the United Democratic Front (UDF) Cabinet in Kerala.
Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal, IUML State president, identified the Ministers-designate as P.K. Kunhalikutty, P.K. Basheer, V.E. Abdul Gafoor, K.M. Shaji, and N. Samsudheen.
IUML secures five Cabinet posts in Kerala's UDF government, with ministers-designate named by state president Syed Sadiq Ali Thangal.
Thiruvananthapuram witnessed hectic preparations ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the new United Democratic Front (UDF) government.
A massive pavilion capable of accommodating nearly 30,000 people has been erected inside the Central Stadium premises, the venue of the ceremony. Roofing sheets, lighting systems, seating arrangements and stage infrastructure have been put in place.
Heavy security and traffic curbs in Thiruvananthapuram for Kerala Cabinet swearing-in, expecting 1 lakh attendees at the event.
As a Congress-led ‘full Cabinet’ is being sworn in after six decades in Kerala on Monday (May 18), the six northern districts are getting eight ministerial berths. However, Kozhikode and Kasaragod will not have any representation in the government for the time being.
Kerala’s Chief Minister-designate, V D Satheesan, on Sunday sought to dispel what he termed as “hate propaganda” targeting the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key United Democratic Front (UDF) ally.
Flanked by IUML’s top leadership, including the party’s State president, Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal and national general secretary, P.K. Kunhalikutty, Mr. Satheesan said he would counter attempts to portray the IUML as an anti-secular outfit with a “prompt, strong and fitting reply”.
A few months before the Assembly polls, V.D. Satheesan, the then Opposition Leader of the Kerala Legislative Assembly, created a political flutter by declaring that he would opt for political exile if he failed to bring the party back to power. The announcement was greeted with usual cynicism.
Many political observers even dismissed it as an astute move of a canny politician to energise the party and its rank and file for the crucial election. A few months after the declaration, Mr. Satheesan is set to assume office as Kerala Chief Minister, after leading the Congress-led alliance to victory over the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and outmanoeuvring two senior colleagues in the race for the top post.
V.D. Satheesan, a Nehruvian revivalist, leads Congress to a historic victory in Kerala, marking his ascent to Chief Minister.
A day before his swearing-in ceremony, Kerala’s Chief Minister-designate V.D. Satheesan on Sunday (May 17, 2026) unveiled the 20-member Council of Ministers of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government.
Congress will have 11 Ministers in the Cabinet – 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.
Kerala's Chief Minister-designate V.D. Satheesan announces 20-member Cabinet, set to take oath on May 18, 2026.
Published - May 18, 2026 06:22 am IST
Live news / Kerala / Indian National Congress / state politics / United Democratic Front / Thiruvananthapuram / Indian Union Muslim League
Source: The Hindu - India News
