VD Satheesan takes oath as Kerala CM
What's the story
Congress leader VD Satheesan was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Kerala on Monday. The ceremony was held at Central Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram, and was attended by top Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and the CMs of Karnataka and Telangana. The event will also mark the swearing-in of 20 ministers, including 11 from the Congress and five from its ally Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Twitter Post
Satheesan takes oath
#WATCH | Congress leader VD Satheesan takes oath as Chief Minister of Keralam at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram
— ANI (@ANI) May 18, 2026
(Source: PRD) pic.twitter.com/MKCPgnpO3F
Election victory
UDF won 102 out of 140 seats
The United Democratic Front (UDF), led by the Congress, won the Kerala assembly elections, winning 102 out of 140 seats. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) managed to secure only 35 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won three seats. This marks a major shift in power after a decade of LDF rule under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Cabinet composition
Cabinet includes senior Congress leaders, 1st-time ministers from IUML
The cabinet includes senior Congress leaders like Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan, and Sunny Joseph. It also has first-time ministers from IUML: PK Kunhalikutty, KM Shaji, VE Abdul Gafoor, N Shamsudheen and PK Basheer. Other allies in the cabinet are Mons Joseph (Kerala Congress-Joseph), Shibu Baby John (Revolutionary Socialist Party), Anoop Jacob (Kerala Congress-Jacob) and C.P. John (Communist Marxist Party).
Inclusive governance
Social and regional balance maintained in cabinet
Satheesan stated that the names were chosen following two days of intense negotiations among alliance leaders, taking into account the coalition's social and regional balance. He said, "There are deserving leaders among the 63 MLAs of the Congress who we could not, unfortunately, accommodate." The cabinet also reflects efforts to maintain social harmony with representation from various communities, including Nair, Ezhava, SC and Christian communities.
Governance structure
Satheesan does not have an administrative background
Many saw Satheesan as the architect of the Congress's resurgence after the Left-led LDF won two back-to-back elections. However, the Congress central leadership preferred another candidate, KC Venugopal, the party's General Secretary of organization. Reportedly, a phone call between Sonia Gandhi and former Kerala Chief Minister AK Anthony eventually paved the way for Satheesan. Satheesan, unlike Venugopal, does not have an administrative background. He would be the first Chief Minister of Kerala to start from scratch in that area.