Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], May 18 : Congress MP Rajmohan Unnithan on Monday said people across Keralam were in a "festive mode" as the decade-long rule of Left Democratic Front (LDF) came to an end with the swearing-in of VD Satheesan as the new Chief Minister of Keralam.
Speaking to ANI, Unnithan expressed happiness over the composition of the new Cabinet and said it reflected a balanced mix of experienced leaders and new entrants.
"Everyone in Keralam is in a festive mode because 10 years of the Marxist rule is going to end today. Most of the people in the cabinet are experienced and some of them are also new. I am happy with the cabinet," Unnithan said.
Meanwhile, UDF-backed Independent MLA G Sudhakaran expressed gratitude to the United Democratic Front (UDF) for its support, saying he had contested as an independent against both the CPI(M) leadership and the BJP.
"I am happy because I fought against the CPI(M) leadership and BJP as an independent candidate. I am thankful wholeheartedly for the support of UDF... I was never afraid of the opposition and I will fight whoever comes opposite to me," Sudhakaran told ANI.
Earlier in the day, VD Satheesan took oath as the Chief Minister of Keralam along with his 20-member Cabinet at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, marking the return of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) to power after a decade.
Keralam Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to the ministers. The ceremony concluded with the playing of Vande Mataram followed by the National Anthem.
The 20-member Cabinet who sworn in, 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, including 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, also took the oath.
Several senior Congress 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.
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 Left Democratic Front (LDF) was reduced to 35 seats, while the BJP secured three constituencies.
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