Senior Congress leader VD Satheesan will take the oath of office as Kerala’s next Chief Minister on Monday morning, along with his 20-member Council of Ministers. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the Chief Minister-designate and the ministers-designate.
A grand swearing-in ceremony will take place at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, marking the return of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) to power after a decade.
The ministers in the Satheesan cabinet are Ramesh Chennithala, Sunny Joseph, K Muraleedharan, Bindu Krishna, A P Anil Kumar, P C Vishnunath, M Liju, Roji M John, T Siddique, O J Janeesh, I C Balakrishnan, K A Thulasi(All from Congress), P K Kunhalikutty, N Shamsuddin, P K Basheer, K M Shaji, Abdul Gafoor(IUML) , Shibu Baby John(RSP), C P John(CMP), Anoop Jacob(Kerala Congress-Jacob) and Mons Joseph (Kerala Congress –Joseph)
Senior Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and chief ministers from other states, will attend the swearing-in ceremony
The 61-year-old chief minister-designate, who served as the Leader of the Opposition from 2021 to 2026, led the UDF to a decisive mandate in the 140-member Kerala Assembly, securing 102 seats and ending two consecutive terms of the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Meanwhile, Lok Bhavan issued a strict protocol directive on Sunday restricting stage access for the upcoming swearing-in ceremony of Chief Minister-designate VD Satheesan on Monday. Only the Governor, Chief Minister, Cabinet Ministers, and the Chief Secretary are permitted on the main stage during the oath-taking event.
The Protocol Division had previously informed the Governor’s office that several high-profile national and state leaders would attend the function. This includes top Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Priyanka Gandhi, alongside Chief Ministers from other states.
To maintain official protocol, decorum, and structural safety on the main dais, Lok Bhavan intervened to establish that no outside political leaders or visiting dignitaries will share the stage during the official swearing-in.