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Kerala CM Satheesan takes oath as Congress-led UDF regains power after 10 years
PM Narendra Modi congratulated VD Satheesan on taking over as the new chief minister. He also vowed "all possible support for the newly formed Keralam government"
- PUBLISHED: Mon 18 May 2026, 3:09 PM
Senior Congress leader V.D. Satheesan was sworn in as the new chief minister of Kerala along with 20 ministers at the Central stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, May 18. It marked the return of the United Democratic Front (UDF), led by the Congress, after a gap of 10 years.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge were present at the stadium, packed with thousands of supporters dressed in white khadi shirts and ‘mundu’ (similar to a dhoti, worn by men).
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The new cabinet includes senior Congress leaders including Ramesh Chennithala, K. Muraleedharan and Sunny Joseph, the state party chief. Chennithala told reporters before the swearing-in ceremony that the people of Kerala had rejected the 10-year rule of the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
"We have a commitment towards the people of Kerala and we have a motto to give them better administration and life. am going to take up the Home portfolio, which is extremely important and I will work to the best of my abilities," Chennithala said.
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Besides the 11 Congress ministers in the cabinet, there are five from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and those from other allies.
CM Satheesan said his cabinet would have two women ministers. Elections to the 140-seat Kerala legislative assembly was held on April 9 and the results declared on May 4. The Congress-led UDF won 102 seats, the LDF got 35 and the BJP won three.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Satheesan on taking over as the CM. He assured “all possible support for the newly formed Keralam Government in fulfilling the aspirations of the people.”
Satheesan, who led the party’s victory in the state, finally emerged as the party’s choice after a lot of lobbying in Delhi by various factions.
The Congress high command was in favour of Delhi-based general secretary K.C. Venugopal, and many of the local legislators also backed him. But strong backing from grassroots workers and the IUML finally resulted in the party selecting Satheesan as the chief minister.
Former LDF chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and BJP MLA Rajeev Chandrasekhar were also present at the oath-taking ceremony of the new government. Leaders of other Congress-ruled states including Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy, and Karnataka deputy chief minister D. K. Shivakumar, were also present.
The Congress now rules in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh and is in power in Kerala with its allies. The BJP rules in 17 states across the country and is in power in five others with allies.
