KeralaChief Minister-designate V D Satheesanis set to take oath as the state's 13th head Today (May 18). On the eve of his swearing in, Satheesan on Sunday announced a 20-member cabinet, who will be part of the new United Democratic Front (UDF) government, balancing experienced leaders with a large group of first-time ministers. Addressing reporters after submitting the list to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Lok Bhavan, Satheesan said the final list was prepared after consultations with alliance partners while ensuring social and regional representation within the coalition.
Of the 20 ministers, 14 are first-time entrants to the cabinet. The ministry also includes two women and two Scheduled Caste representatives.
Senior Congress leaders and former ministers Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan and A P Anil Kumar have found a place in the cabinet, along with KPCC chief Sunny Joseph. Senior alliance leaders including IUML veteran P K Kunhalikutty, RSP leader Shibu Baby John, Kerala Congress leader Mons Joseph and Kerala Congress (Jacob) leader Anoop Jacob have also been inducted.
The UDF has also decided to appoint senior Congress legislator Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan as Speaker of the Assembly, while Shanimol Usman will serve as Deputy Speaker. The post of chief whip will go to Kerala Congress (J), with the party expected to announce its nominee later.
Satheesan said several deserving leaders could not be accommodated despite the Congress winning 63 seats in what he described as one of the party’s biggest victories in Kerala.
“Let new faces come. There should be opportunity for all,” he said, while stressing that factors such as caste, regional balance and coalition representation were considered during cabinet formation.
He said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several chief ministers are expected to attend the ceremony. Satheesan added that Joseph Vijay may attend later as his participation is yet to be confirmed.
Former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and CPI leader Binoy Viswam are also expected to attend.
The UDF secured a landslide victory in the Kerala Assembly elections, winning 102 out of 140 seats, with the Congress alone accounting for 63 MLAs.
Sudhanshu Mishra is a Senior Copy Editor at Times Now. While his day-to-day work centres on news, his writing interests lie in the intersections of cu...View More
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