Thiruvananthapuram: Vadasseri Damodaran Satheesan took oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala in the name of God amid an ecstatic crowd at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, marking the Congress-led United Democratic Front's return to power after a decade. Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to Satheesan, who was sworn in along with a 20-member cabinet.
The ministers were sworn in the following order: P K Kunhalikutty, Ramesh Chennithala, Sunny Joseph, K Muraleedharan, Mons Joseph, Shibu Baby John, Anoop Jacob, C P John, A P Anil Kumar, N Samsudheen, P C Vishnunadh, Roji M John, Bindu Krishna, M Liju, K M Shaji, P K Basheer, V E Abdul Gafoor, T Siddique, K A Thulasi, and O J Janeesh. All ministers, with the exception of Shibu Baby John and C P John, took an oath in the name of God.
The dais reflected a rare cross-section of Kerala's political leadership. Former Chief Minister and current Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan, CPM State Secretary M V Govindan, former Speaker A N Shamseer, CPI State Secretary Binoy Viswam, and BJP State President and Nemom MLA Rajeev Chandrasekhar were present on the dais. UDF ally leaders, including IUML State President Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal and P J Joseph, were also prominently seated onstage.
Senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra shared the dais with Satheesan and the minister-designates. Chief ministers of Congress-ruled states, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, were also present.
Council
of Ministers
Ahead of the ceremony, Satheesan on Sunday unveiled the 20-member cabinet after submitting the list of ministers to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Lok Bhavan. The cabinet includes 14 first-time ministers, two women, and two representatives from the Scheduled Caste community.
The Indian Union Muslim League secured five berths in the cabinet. Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal also announced that MLA Parakkal Abdulla would be inducted into the cabinet after two-and-a-half years as part of a rotational arrangement, though the party did not specify who would step down.
The UDF has decided to appoint senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan as the Assembly Speaker, while Shanimol Usman will serve as Deputy Speaker. Apu John Joseph, son of P J Joseph and Thodupuzha MLA, has been named Chief Whip.
Portfolio
allocation is expected to be finalised after the swearing-in ceremony.
Satheesan said the details would be submitted to the Governor and later
published through a gazette notification.
Following
the oath-taking ceremony, the ministers will attend a reception at Lok Bhavan
before the new cabinet holds its first meeting. The cabinet is expected to
recommend convening the Assembly. Newly elected MLAs are scheduled to take oath
on May 21, while the Speaker election is expected on May 22. The Governor's policy
address is likely on May 29, and the state budget is expected to be presented
by June 5.
The UDF won 102 of the 140 Assembly seats in the April 9 election, unseating the CPM-led Left Democratic Front after two consecutive terms in office.
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