By:NE Now News
Guwahati: V D Satheesan was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Kerala on Monday, with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administering the oath of office to the Congress Legislature Party leader during a grand ceremony in the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
Alongside Satheesan, members of his 20-member Cabinet also took oath at the event, which was attended by top political leaders and thousands of supporters.
The new Cabinet features senior Congress leaders including Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan, A P Anil Kumar and KPCC chief Sunny Joseph. Senior alliance leaders such as P K Kunhalikutty of the IUML, Shibu Baby John of the RSP, Mons Joseph of Kerala Congress, Anoop Jacob of Kerala Congress (Jacob) and CMP leader C P John were also sworn in.
Out of the 20 ministers, 14 are fresh faces, including Satheesan himself, who is assuming a government role for the first time despite representing Paravur in the Assembly since 2001.
The Cabinet includes two women ministers and two members belonging to the Scheduled Caste community.
Several first-time ministers were inducted into the Cabinet, including IUML leaders N Shamsuddin, K M Shaji, P K Basheer and V E Abdul Gafoor, along with Congress leaders P C Vishnunadh, Roji M John, Bindu Krishna, T Siddique, K A Thulasi and O J Janeesh.
The swearing-in ceremony witnessed the presence of senior Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Chief ministers from Congress-ruled states, former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Left leaders and BJP representatives also attended the function.
Thousands of UDF supporters and Congress workers from across Kerala gathered at the venue, cheering loudly as each minister took oath.
The elections to the 140-member Kerala Assembly were held on April 9, with results announced on May 4. The Congress-led UDF secured a decisive victory with 102 seats, while the LDF won 35 seats and the BJP managed three seats.