Keralam: Senior bishops of Jacobite Church meet CM-designate VD Satheesan ahead of swearing-in

Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], May 18 : Senior Bishops of the Jacobite Church met with Keralam Chief Minister-designate VD Satheesan and extended greetings ahead of his swearing-in ceremony.

Meanwhile, supporters of VD Satheesan gathered outside his residence ahead of the oath-taking ceremony of the new Keralam government.

Satheesan is set to take oath as the Chief Minister of Keralam at 10 am at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, along with his full Council of Ministers, marking the return of the United Democratic Front (UDF) to power after a decade.

Security has been heightened at the airport, as Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states and several other leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, are expected to arrive in the city to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Keralam government.

The 20-member Cabinet that will take oath along with Satheesan includes senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan and KPCC chief Sunny Joseph, along with Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders PK Kunhalikutty, PK Basheer, N Samsudheen, KM Shaji and VE Abdul Gafoor.

Other ministers in the Cabinet are Mons Joseph, Shibu Baby John, Anoop Jacob, CP John, AP Anil Kumar, T Siddique, PC Vishnunath, Roji M John, Bindu Krishna, M Liju, KA Thulasi and O J Janeesh.

Satheesan also announced that senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan will serve as Speaker of the Assembly, while Shanimol Usman will be the Deputy Speaker. MLA Apu John Joseph has been appointed as the Government Chief Whip.

The swearing-in ceremony comes after the UDF secured a decisive mandate in the 2026 Keralam Assembly elections, ending the Left Democratic Front's (LDF) 10-year rule in the state.

Satheesan, on Sunday, formally announced the 20-member Cabinet and later met Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Lok Bhavan to submit the list of ministers who will take oath along with him.

Addressing a press conference after meeting the Governor, Satheesan said the entire Cabinet would be sworn in together with the Chief Minister after nearly six decades.

"Along with the Chief Minister, the full Cabinet will take the oath together after nearly six decades. Among the 63 Congress MLAs, there are many deserving leaders. Several deserving leaders have also been left out and remain outside the Cabinet. There is sadness and difficulty in that. Various limitations, criteria and social realities led to such decisions," Satheesan said.

He said the government formation process was completed in record time after extensive consultations within the Congress party and coalition partners."We have discussed with the coalition partners, we have interacted with all Congress leaders within the party, and within 24 hours, we have completed the entire process. This is the fastest in the history of Kerala," he added.

Satheesan also said social and regional balance, along with representation for women and the Scheduled Castes, were key considerations in the Cabinet formation.

The UDF registered a landslide victory in the 2026 Assembly elections, winning 102 seats in the 140-member House. The Congress emerged as the single-largest party with 63 seats, while the IUML won 22 seats. The LDF was reduced to 35 seats, while the BJP won three constituencies.

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