Kerala is set to witness the formation of a new government as Chief Minister-designate VD Satheesan on Sunday announced the list of ministers who will take oath in the state cabinet. After days of speculation and internal discussions within the ruling alliance, the final list of 20 MLAs has now been cleared for the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Monday morning.
The ministers will take oath along with Satheesan at 10 AM, formally marking the beginning of the new administration led by the United Democratic Front (UDF). The detailed allocation of portfolios will be submitted to the Governor and later issued through an official gazette notification.
20 MLAs Named in the New Kerala Cabinet
The list of ministers includes several prominent political leaders from the Congress and its allied parties. Among them are senior leaders such as PK Kunhalikuty, Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan, and Sunny Joseph.
The full list of ministers includes:
- PK Kunhalikuty
- Ramesh Chennithala
- Sunny Joseph
- K Muraleedharan
- Mons Joseph
- Shibu Baby John
- Anoop Jacob
- CP John
- AP Anil Kumar
- N Shamsudeen
- PC Vishnunadh
- Roji M John
- Bindu Krishna
- M Liju
- KM Shaji
- PK Basheer
- Abdul Gafoor
- T Siddique
- KA Thulasi
- OJ Janeesh
The detailed allocation of portfolios will be submitted to the Governor and later issued through an official gazette notification.
One of the key highlights of the cabinet formation is the representation given to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which is the second-largest ally in the UDF coalition. The party has secured five ministerial positions in the new government. Leaders from the IUML quota include PK Kunhalikuty, N Shamsudeen, KM Shaji, PK Basheer and Abdul Gafoor.
IUML MLA Abdul Gafoor said that the party leadership had finalized the names and the chief minister-designate had officially announced them. He added that the ministers would take oath on Monday and would carry out whatever responsibilities are assigned to them.
IUML State President Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal also confirmed that the party was allotted five cabinet positions. He noted that IUML currently has 22 MLAs in the assembly and the alliance had agreed to grant the party appropriate representation in the government.
Despite securing a strong presence in the assembly with 63 MLAs, the Congress party will have only 11 ministers in the cabinet. Chief Minister-designate VD Satheesan acknowledged that several capable leaders could not be accommodated due to the limited number of cabinet positions. He said there were many deserving legislators whose names were discussed, but balancing coalition partners and representation made the final selection challenging.
Apart from the cabinet announcements, the alliance has also finalized key positions in the Kerala Legislative Assembly. Senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan has been selected as the Speaker, while Shanimol Usman will serve as the Deputy Speaker. The position of Chief Whip has not been decided yet and will be finalized by Kerala Congress (Joseph), which has been allotted the role as part of the alliance arrangement.
Satheesan described the swift completion of the cabinet formation process as a rare moment in Kerala’s political history. According to him, the alliance managed to finalize the cabinet within 24 hours after the election process concluded. He emphasized that the unity and mutual respect among leaders within the UDF helped achieve this quick consensus.
The swearing-in ceremony on Monday is expected to be a significant political event in the state, with several senior leaders from the Congress party likely to attend. Once the ministers take oath and portfolios are assigned, the new government will begin outlining its policy priorities and governance roadmap for Kerala.
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With the cabinet now finalized and the oath-taking ceremony just hours away, the new administration led by VD Satheesan is preparing to take charge and begin its tenure with a focus on stability within the coalition and governance for the state.