18 May,2026 12:47 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pic/PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated V D Satheesan after he took oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala and assured full support from the Centre to the newly formed state government.
In a message posted on X following the swearing-in ceremony in Thiruvananthapuram, PM Modi extended his best wishes to Satheesan and said the Union government would cooperate with the new administration in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Kerala.
"Congratulations to Shri VD Satheesan Ji on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala. My best wishes for his tenure. The Central Government assures all possible support for the newly formed Kerala Government in fulfilling the aspirations of the people," PM Modi wrote.
Satheesan was sworn in along with his 20-member Cabinet at a ceremony held at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, marking the Congress-led United Democratic Front's return to power in the state after a decade.
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to the Chief Minister and other ministers. The ceremony concluded with the singing of Vande Mataram followed by the National Anthem.
The Cabinet includes senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sunny Joseph.
Leaders from alliance partner Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), including P K Kunhalikutty, P K Basheer, N Samsudheen, K M Shaji and V E Abdul Gafoor, were also inducted into the ministry.
Other ministers who took oath included Mons Joseph, Shibu Baby John, Anoop Jacob, C P John, A P Anil Kumar, T Siddique, P C Vishnunath, Roji M John, Bindu Krishna, M Liju, K A Thulasi and O J Janeesh.
The new Cabinet includes several first-time ministers and reflects the UDF's attempt to balance senior leadership with fresh faces in government.
The ceremony was attended by senior Congress leaders including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress general secretary K C Venugopal.
Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers from Congress-ruled states were also present at the event, including Siddaramaiah, D K Shivakumar, A Revanth Reddy and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.
The Congress-led UDF registered a sweeping victory in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections by winning 102 seats in the 140-member House.
The Congress emerged as the single-largest party with 63 seats, while the IUML secured 22 seats. The Left Democratic Front was reduced to 35 seats, while the BJP won three constituencies.
Meanwhile, PM Modi concluded his visit to Sweden, which was the third leg of his five-nation tour. In another post on X, the Prime Minister said the visit had added "new momentum" to India-Sweden relations.
He highlighted key outcomes including the elevation of India-Sweden ties to a Strategic Partnership, the launch of the Joint Innovation Partnership 2.0 and the India-Sweden Technology and Artificial Intelligence Corridor.
PM Modi also said both countries had agreed on an ambitious target of doubling bilateral trade within the next five years.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to travel to Norway next for the third India-Nordic Summit in Oslo, where he will hold bilateral talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
(With inputs from IANS)
