V D Satheesan Takes Oath as Kerala Chief Minister Along With 20 Ministers
Thiruvananthapuram, 18th May 2026: Senior Congress leader V. D. Satheesan took oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala during a grand swearing-in ceremony held at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. Along with the Chief Minister, 20 ministers of the new cabinet also took oath.
Speaking ahead of the ceremony, Satheesan said that after nearly 60 years, the entire Kerala cabinet was taking oath together. The last such instance was in 1962 under former Chief Minister R. Shankar, whose government later fell following a no-confidence motion in 1964.
The event witnessed the presence of several senior Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Chief ministers from Congress-ruled states also attended the ceremony.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was absent as he is currently in Boston, United States. However, he had earlier met Satheesan, KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala before leaving abroad.
During the ceremony, Satheesan was administered the oath of office and secrecy in Malayalam. After taking oath, he greeted Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and other leaders present on the stage.
The new Kerala cabinet includes 14 first-time ministers. Among those inducted into the cabinet are CP John, N. Shamsudheen, K. M. Shaji, P. K. Basheer, V. E. Abdul Gafoor, P. C. Vishnunath, Rosy M. John, Bindu Krishna, T. Siddique, K. A. Thulasi and O. J. Janish.
The Congress has also retained the posts of Speaker and Deputy Speaker in the Assembly. Tiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan has been named Speaker, while Shanimol Usman will serve as Deputy Speaker.
The election for the Assembly Speaker is scheduled to be held on May 22, while Governor Rajendra Arlekar’s policy address is slated for May 29. The state budget is expected to be presented by June 5.
Several senior leaders and chief ministers from opposition parties attended the swearing-in ceremony, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and CPI leader Binoy Viswam were also present at the event.
Speaking to the media, D. K. Shivakumar said the people of Kerala had given a “strong mandate” to the Congress-led UDF and added that the government would work to fulfil its promises. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said the Congress had succeeded in stopping the BJP from expanding in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said the return of the UDF government after 10 years marked a significant moment for Kerala and added that providing good governance would be the government’s top priority.
