VD Satheesan sworn in as Kerala Chief Minister

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has reportedly returned to power in Kerala after a decade, according to Times of India. VD Satheesan was sworn in as Chief Minister at a grand ceremony held at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday (May 18, 2026).

Senior Congress leaders, alliance partners and thousands of supporters attended the event. Satheesan and his cabinet members took oath together.

The report claims this is the first time in nearly six decades that a Chief Minister and the entire cabinet have been sworn in at the same time in Kerala.

The 21-member cabinet includes senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan and KPCC chief Sunny Joseph. Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders PK Kunnalikutty, PK Bashir, N Samsudin, KM Shaji and VE Abdul Ghafoor also took oath as ministers.

Other cabinet members include Mons Joseph, Shibu Baby John, Anup Jacob, CP John, AP Anil Kumar, T Siddiqui, PC Vishnunath, Rosy M John, Bindu Krishna, M Liju, KA Tulsi and O J Jenish.

Earlier, Satheesan said that several qualified leaders could not be included due to political and social considerations. He added that the cabinet formation was completed within 24 hours after consultations with alliance partners and the Congress leadership.

He had submitted the list of ministers to Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar at Raj Bhavan on Sunday evening. Sathisan, who served as Leader of the Opposition for the past five years, is credited with strengthening the Congress organisation at the grassroots level in Kerala.

In the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, the Congress reportedly emerged as the single largest party with 63 seats, while the UDF alliance secured 102 seats in the 140-member assembly. The result is said to have ended the 10-year rule of the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).