VD Satheesan Sworn In As Kerala Chief Minister Along With 20-Member Cabinet, Check Full List Here

New Delhi: Congress leader V. D. Satheesan officially took the oath as the 13th Chief Minister of Kerala on Monday at a grand ceremony held at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, marking the return of the United Democratic Front (UDF) to power after a decade.

Along with Satheesan, his full 20-member Council of Ministers was also sworn in, bringing together senior Congress leaders, IUML representatives and key allies from across the UDF alliance. Keralam Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to Satheesan and his 20-member Cabinet.

The swearing-in ceremony drew massive political attention as Kerala witnessed a change in government after the Left Democratic Front’s 10-year rule came to an end in the 2026 Assembly elections.

Several veteran Congress leaders also took an oath as ministers alongside Satheesan, including Ramesh Chennithala, K. Muraleedharan and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sunny Joseph.

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a major UDF ally, also secured significant representation in the new Cabinet. Senior IUML leaders including P. K. Kunhalikutty, P. K. Basheer, N. Samsudheen, K. M. Shaji and V. E. Abdul Gafoor were sworn in as ministers.

Full List of Ministers in VD Satheesan Cabinet

Apart from the senior faces, several alliance leaders and regional representatives also found a place in the new ministry.

Ministers sworn in include the following:

• VD Satheesan
• Ramesh Chennithala
• K Muraleedharan
• Sunny Joseph
• PK Kunhalikutty
• PK Basheer
• N Samsudheen
• KM Shaji
• VE Abdul Gafoor
• 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
• O J Janeesh

Alongside the Cabinet announcement, Satheesan also named senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan as the new Speaker of the Kerala Assembly.

Shanimol Usman has been appointed Deputy Speaker, while MLA Apu John Joseph will serve as the government chief whip.

Who attended the ceremony? 

The ceremony saw a massive turnout of top political heavyweights, signalling the national significance of the UDF's victory. The event was attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, MP Priyanka Gandhi, and General Secretary KC Venugopal.

It included Congress chief ministers and deputy chief ministers like Siddaramaiah (Karnataka), alongside deputy CMs DK Shivakumar, Revanth Reddy (Telangana), and Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh). Former Keralam CM Pinarayi Vijayan, former Assembly Speaker AN Shamsheer, Keralam BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and CPI leader Binoy Viswam also attended the swearing-in ceremony.

Alongside Satheesan, a 20-member Cabinet took the oath. Satheesan noted that government formation was completed in under 24 hours, the fastest in Kerala's history, while carefully managing regional and social demographics.

"We have discussed with the coalition partners... and within 24 hours, we have completed the entire process," Satheesan said. "We have to consider the social and regional balance and the representation of women and Dalit representation... We have included two members from the SC, and women's representation has been ensured."

UDF Returns to Power After 10 Years

The swearing-in marks a major political comeback for the UDF, which secured a decisive mandate in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections.

The alliance managed to unseat the Left Democratic Front (LDF), ending its decade-long rule in the state. 

Satheesan secured 78,658 votes and defeated CPI candidate ET Taison Master by a margin of 20,600 votes. 

He has represented the Paravur constituency for 25 years, having first won the seat in 2001. Born in 1964 in Nettoor near Kochi, Satheesan is a lawyer by profession. He began his political journey through the Kerala Students Union (KSU) and later became active in the Youth Congress.

He also served as the vice president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee and succeeded Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala as the leader of the opposition after the 2021 Kerala Assembly election.

As the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly since 2021, Satheesan emerged as a prominent face of the United Democratic Front (UDF) campaign against the ruling Left government. He has been a vocal critic of the state government on various political and governance issues.

Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said the government would implement the five guarantees announced by Rahul Gandhi during the Assembly election campaign.

The five guarantees include free bus travel for women, Rs 1000 monthly assistance for college-going girls, welfare pensions of Rs 3000, Rs 25 lakh Oommen Chandy Health Insurance coverage for every family, and interest-free loans up to Rs 5 lakh for small businesses.