V. D. Satheesan Takes Oath as Kerala CM Along With 20-Member Cabinet
Thiruvananthapuram, May 18 (TNT):V. D. Satheesan on Monday took oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala along with his 20-member Cabinet at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, formally marking the return of the United Democratic Front to power in the state after a decade.
Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Satheesan and his Cabinet members at a grand swearing-in ceremony attended by top Congress leadership and alliance leaders.
The Cabinet includes senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala, K. Muraleedharan, A. P. Anil Kumar and Sunny Joseph. Senior IUML leader P. K. Kunhalikutty, RSP leader Shibu Baby John, Kerala Congress leader Mons Joseph, Kerala Congress (Jacob) leader Anoop Jacob and CMP leader C. P. John also took oath.
Of the 21-member ministry, 14 are new faces, including Satheesan himself, who assumed a government position for the first time despite representing Paravur Assembly constituency since 2001.
The Cabinet includes two women ministers and two members from the Scheduled Caste community.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among other senior leaders.
The elections to the 140-member Kerala Assembly were held on April 9, with results declared on May 4. The Congress-led UDF secured 102 seats, while the LDF won 35 seats and the BJP secured three.
In a post on X, Narendra Modi congratulated Satheesan on assuming office and assured support from the Centre for the newly formed Kerala government.
TNT KS
