Satheesan Names 20 Ministers; New Kerala Cabinet to Take Oath on May 18

Kerala Chief Minister-designate V D Satheesan on Sunday announced the list of 20 ministers who will be part of the new United Democratic Front government. Including Satheesan, 21 members of the ministry will take oath on Monday, May 18, at 10 am.

The swearing-in ceremony will be held at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Satheesan said the list of ministers has been submitted to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. He added that the full UDF cabinet taking oath together after several decades reflects unity within the alliance.

Full List of Ministers in Satheesan Cabinet

The Congress will have 11 ministers in the new cabinet. The nominees are

• V D Satheesan,
  
• Ramesh Chennithala,
  
• K Muraleedharan,
  
• Sunny Joseph,
  
• Bindhu Krishna,
  
• A P Anil Kumar,
  
• P C Vishnunadh,
  
• M Liju,
  
• Roji M John,
  
• T Siddique,
  
• O J Janeesh and
  
• K A Thulasi.
  

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The Indian Union Muslim League, a key UDF ally, has been given five ministerial berths. Its ministers will be P K Kunhalikutty, P K Basheer, N Shamsudeen, K M Shaji and V E Abdul Gafoor. Other alliance partners have also been accommodated, with Mons Joseph from Kerala Congress, Shibu Baby John from the Revolutionary Socialist Party, Anoop Jacob from Kerala Congress (Jacob), and C P John from the Communist Marxist Party included in the cabinet.

The UDF has also decided to appoint senior leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan as Speaker of the Assembly, while Shanimol Usman will be the Deputy Speaker.

Satheesan said the cabinet list was finalised after discussions within the alliance and after approval from the Congress high command. He said social and regional balance were considered while selecting the ministers. The portfolio allocation is still being finalised and will be formally issued after the Governor’s approval.

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The new cabinet will have several fresh faces. Reports said 14 members in the ministry are new entrants, including leaders from the Congress, IUML and other UDF allies.

Several senior Congress leaders are expected to attend Monday’s oath-taking ceremony. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar are likely to be present.

Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and CPI leader Binoy Viswam are also expected to attend the ceremony.

The UDF returned to power after winning 102 seats in the 140-member Kerala Assembly. The announcement of the cabinet comes after days of discussions within the Congress and the alliance over leadership and ministerial representation.

Security and traffic arrangements have been made in Thiruvananthapuram ahead of the event. Traffic restrictions will remain in place from 7 am to 4 pm on Monday. Public entry to the stadium will be regulated, and LED screens will be installed at six locations in the city for people to watch the ceremony live.

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