V D Satheesan on Monday took oath as Kerala’s Chief Minister, with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administering the oath of office to the Congress Legislative Party leader. (Express Photo by Anand S Lal)
Kerala swearing-in ceremony LIVE: Congress leader VD Satheesan took oath as the 13th Chief Minister of Kerala on Monday, with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administering the oath of office. Satheesan was joined by his 20-member Cabinet at the swearing-in ceremony attended by senior Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states, former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Left leaders, BJP representatives also attended the event at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. The Congress-led UDF returned to power after winning 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly, while the LDF secured 35 seats and the BJP won three in the elections held on April 9.
Leaders secured portfolios in the new Cabinet: Even before taking charge, Satheesan allocated some of the portfolios within the government. While he will personally handle the Finance department amid the state’s economic challenges, the influential Home and Vigilance portfolios have gone to senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala. The Cabinet formation also reflects the influence of K C Venugopal, with several ministers believed to be aligned with the AICC general secretary, who was among the contenders for the chief minister’s post.
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How was the Cabinet list finalised? Ahead of the ceremony, Satheesan held a meeting with senior state Congress leaders at the KPCC office to finalise the Cabinet lineup. Sunny Joseph and Adoor Prakash were among those present during the discussions. The Congress leadership has chosen four first-time MLAs for ministerial berths, while several senior legislators were left out, showing how internal group equations and loyalty played an important role in shaping the new government.
