Senior Congress leader VD Satheesan was sworn in as Kerala’s 13th Chief Minister on Monday at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, bringing down the curtain on a decade of CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) rule in the state.
Marking a historic first in recent times, the entire 20-member Cabinet took the oath of office simultaneously along with the Chief Minister.
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Satheesan and the Ministers-designate during a one-hour ceremony that commenced around 10:15 am.
The Ministers-designate who took oath along with Satheesan were P. K. Kunhalikutty, Ramesh Chennithala, Sunny Joseph, K. Muraleedharan, Mons Joseph, Shibu Baby John, Anoop Jacob, C. P. John, A. P. Anil Kumar, P. C. Vishnunath, Roji M. John, Bindu Krishna, M. Liju, V. E. Abdul Gafoor, T. Siddique, P. K. Basheer, N. Shamsudheen, K. M. Shaji, K. A. Thulasi, and O. J. Janeesh.
The ceremony witnessed the presence of several prominent political leaders. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attended the event to celebrate the UDF’s decisive 102-seat election victory.
Revanth Reddy, Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPI leader Binoy Viswam, BJP state president and Nemom MLA Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) state president Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal also attended the function.
The swearing-in ceremony for Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan and his 20-member Cabinet commenced with the full rendition of Vande Mataram. Political observers noted that by strictly adhering to the protocol, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government successfully side-stepped potential nationalist criticism.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs had issued a directive on January 28, 2026, marking the 150th anniversary of the song. The directive stipulated that all six stanzas of Vande Mataram must be sung in full before the National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana) at official government functions and school assemblies.
It is noteworthy that Vande Mataram was not sung during the swearing-in ceremony of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended that ceremony, the central directive was reportedly not followed there.