English
English
English
Chennithala & Muraleedharan among congress ministers
New Delhi: Kerala Chief Minister-designate VD Satheesan on Sunday unveiled the names of ministers who will take oath with him during the state government’s swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Monday.
The Congress-led cabinet will include senior leaders Ramesh Chennithala, KPCC Chief Sunny Joseph, and K Muraleedharan, while Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan has been appointed Speaker of the Kerala Assembly and Shanimol Usman as Deputy Speaker.
Speaking after the announcement, Satheesan said the cabinet was finalized after extensive discussions with alliance partners, keeping social and regional representation in mind. “Several deserving leaders could not be accommodated despite Congress winning 63 seats, one of the party’s largest victories in Kerala,” he noted.
Portfolio allocation discussions among coalition partners are nearly complete, with only minor adjustments pending before final approval. The official list of ministers will now be submitted to the Governor and notified through the government gazette.
In the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, the United Democratic Front (UDF) secured a decisive mandate with 102 seats. Congress emerged as the single largest party with 63 seats, while the Left Democratic Front (LDF), which had 99 seats in 2021, was reduced to 35.
The decision on the chief ministerial post came after several rounds of consultations with local leaders and former state chiefs. Rahul Gandhi reportedly met with multiple Kerala leaders, including eight former state unit chiefs, to assess the situation.
The three main contenders for the post were VD Satheesan, KC Venugopal, and Ramesh Chennithala, with Satheesan ultimately chosen to lead the state.
