Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], May 18 : Twenty ministers on Monday took oath as part of the new VD Satheesan-led Keralam Cabinet, marking the return of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) to power in the state after a decade.
Keralam Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to the ministers at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. The ceremony concluded with the playing of Vande Mataram followed by the National Anthem.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader PK Kunhalikutty was the first minister to take the oath after Chief Minister Satheesan.
Senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala, Sunny Joseph and K Muraleedharan also took oath as ministers in the new government.
Senior alliance leaders Mons Joseph from Kerala Congress and Shibu Baby John of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), both constituents of the UDF alliance, were sworn in as ministers.
Congress leaders Anoop Jacob, CP John and AP Anil Kumar also took the oath, along with IUML leader N Samsudheen.
Congress MLAs PC Vishnunath and Roji M John were sworn in as ministers by the Governor.
Congress leaders Bindu Krishna and M Liju also took oath as ministers in the new UDF government.
IUML leaders KM Shaji, PK Basheer and VE Abdul Gafoor were among the ministers sworn into the Cabinet, joining fellow IUML leaders PK Kunhalikutty and N Samsudheen.
Other ministers in the Cabinet include T Siddique, KA Thulasi and OJ Janeesh.
The swearing-in ceremony marked a major political shift in the state, with the UDF returning to power after defeating the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the 2026 Assembly elections.
Several senior leaders attended the ceremony, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal.
Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers from Congress-ruled states, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu were also present.
The UDF secured a landslide victory in the 2026 Keralam Assembly elections, winning 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly. 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 secured three constituencies.
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