A decade after being pushed to the opposition benches, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) stormed back to power in Kerala on Monday, with VD Satheesan taking oath as the state’s 13th Chief Minister at a high-voltage ceremony in Thiruvananthapuram.
In a packed Central Stadium drenched in Congress flags, drumbeats and chants of “UDF zindabad”, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Satheesan and his 20-member Cabinet, formally ending the CPI(M)-led LDF’s 10-year rule in the state.
Thousands of UDF workers and supporters from across Kerala flooded the capital city from early morning, turning the venue and surrounding roads into a sea of white khadi shirts and mundu. As Satheesan rose to take oath in the name of God, the crowd erupted in celebration, marking what many Congress workers described as the party’s biggest political comeback in years.
The 61-year-old Paravur MLA, credited with rebuilding the Congress organisation and scripting the UDF’s emphatic electoral victory, assumes office after leading the alliance to a stunning 102-seat triumph in the 140-member Assembly. The LDF was reduced to 35 seats, while the BJP won three.
The swearing-in ceremony doubled as a show of strength for the Congress nationally, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra occupying the front row. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar were among the senior Congress leaders who attended the event. Former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, now set to become the Leader of Opposition, was also present along with Left leaders and BJP representatives, including state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
Satheesan’s ministry signals both continuity and generational transition. Fourteen of the 21 ministers, including the Chief Minister himself, are first-timers in executive office, a rare reshaping of Kerala’s political establishment.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who was widely seen as a contender for the chief ministership, took oath as the third member of the Cabinet and is expected to handle the powerful Home portfolio. K. Muraleedharan, A.P. Anil Kumar and KPCC president Sunny Joseph are among the senior Congress faces in the ministry.
The IUML, the second-largest constituent in the UDF, secured five Cabinet berths with P.K. Kunhalikutty emerging as the coalition’s second most powerful figure politically. RSP leader Shibu Baby John, Kerala Congress (Joseph) leader Mons Joseph, Kerala Congress (Jacob) leader Anoop Jacob and CMP leader C.P. John also joined the ministry.
The Cabinet includes two women ministers , Bindhu Krishna and K.A. Thulasi, while Scheduled Caste representation has increased to two with Thulasi and A.P. Anil Kumar becoming ministers.
Among the new-generation faces in the ministry are P.C. Vishnunadh, Roji M. John, T. Siddique, M. Liju and O.J. Janeesh from the Congress, besides IUML leaders N. Shamsudheen, K.M. Shaji, P.K. Basheer and V.E. Abdul Gafoor.
The mood outside the stadium resembled a festival. Supporters danced to percussion performances, waved giant party flags and burst into slogans as ministers took oath one after another. Security was tightened across the capital with heavy police deployment and traffic restrictions in place throughout the day.
For the Congress in Kerala, the day marked more than just a change of government. It signalled the return of the UDF after two consecutive defeats, the rise of Satheesan from Opposition leader to Chief Minister, and the beginning of what the party hopes will be a long-awaited political reset in the state.
