PM Modi congratulates VD Satheesan on taking oath as Kerala CM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, May 18, congratulated veteran Congress leader VD Satheesan on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala. He has conveyed best wishes for his tenure.

“Heartfelt congratulations to V D Satheesan Ji, who has taken the oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala. I extend my best wishes for his tenure. To fulfill the aspirations of the people, the Central Government assures the newly formed Kerala Government of all possible support,” Prime Minister Modi wrote on X.

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കേരളത്തിന്റെ മുഖ്യമന്ത്രിയായി സത്യപ്രതിജ്ഞ ചെയ്ത വി ഡി സതീശൻ ജി ക്ക് ഹൃദയം നിറഞ്ഞ അഭിനന്ദനങ്ങൾ. അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ ഭരണകാലത്തിന് എൻ്റെ എല്ലാ ആശംസകളും നേരുന്നു. ജനങ്ങളുടെ ആഗ്രഹങ്ങൾ സഫലീകരിക്കുന്നതിനായി, പുതുതായി രൂപീകൃതമായ കേരള ഗവൺമെൻ്റിന് കേന്ദ്ര ഗവൺമെൻറ് എല്ലാ വിധ പിന്തുണയും…

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— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 18, 2026

Satheesan took oath as the new Kerala Chief Minister at the packed Central Stadium, marking the return of a Congress-led UDF government to power after a gap of 10 years.

As Satheesan’s name was announced by Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar, the crowd at the stadium erupted into prolonged cheers, with party workers waving flags and raising slogans in celebration of the Congress’ return to office.

Notably, the Congress-led UDF government in the state was headed by late former Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, who took oath in 2011.

Satheesan, who turns 62 on Sunday, took the oath in the name of God. In a departure from established convention, several key national and state political heavyweights shared the dais with Satheesan and his 20 Cabinet colleagues, IANS reported.

Among those present were Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge; senior Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra; outgoing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan; State BJP president and newly-elected MLA Rajeev Chandrasekhar; as well as secretaries of both Communist parties and senior Congress veterans.

Also present were Chief Ministers from Congress-ruled states – Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh.

Veteran IUML leader P.K. Kunhalikutty was the second to take the oath and was followed by senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and Sunny Joseph. The 21-member ministry includes 12 ministers from the Congress, five from the IUML and one each from Kerala Congress, Kerala Congress (Jacob), CMP and RSP.