PM Modi congratulates VD Satheesan on taking oath as Keralam CM; assures full Centre support to new government
New Delhi, May 18
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated VD Satheesan on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Keralam and assured full support from the Centre to the newly formed government in fulfilling the aspirations of the people.
In a post shared on X, PM Modi extended his wishes to Satheesan following the swearing-in ceremony of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Thiruvananthapuram.
"Congratulations to Shri VD Satheesan Ji on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Keralam. My best wishes for his tenure. The Central Government assures all possible support for the newly formed Keralam Government in fulfilling the aspirations of the people," the Prime Minister wrote.
Satheesan took oath as the Chief Minister of Keralam along with his 20-member Cabinet at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, marking the return of the Congress-led UDF to power after a decade.
Keralam Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to the ministers. The ceremony concluded with the playing of Vande Mataram followed by the National Anthem.
The 20-member Cabinet who sworn in, includes senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan and KPCC chief Sunny Joseph, along with Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders PK Kunhalikutty, PK Basheer, N Samsudheen, KM Shaji and VE Abdul Gafoor.
Other ministers, including Mons Joseph, Shibu Baby John, Anoop Jacob, CP John, AP Anil Kumar, T Siddique, PC Vishnunath, Roji M John, Bindu Krishna, M Liju, KA Thulasi and O J Janeesh, also took the oath.
Several senior Congress leaders attended the ceremony, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal.
Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers from Congress-ruled states, including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, were also present.
The UDF secured a landslide victory in the 2026 Keralam Assembly elections, winning 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly. The Congress emerged as the single-largest party with 63 seats, while the IUML won 22 seats. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) was reduced to 35 seats, while the BJP secured three constituencies.
Meanwhile, PM Modi concluded his visit to Sweden, the third leg of his five-nation tour, saying the visit added "new momentum" to India-Sweden ties.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister said the two countries elevated bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership and launched the Joint Innovation Partnership 2.0 and the India-Sweden Technology and Artificial Intelligence Corridor.
"My visit to Sweden was marked by several important outcomes that will add new momentum to India-Sweden relations," PM Modi said.
"From elevating our ties to a Strategic Partnership, launching the Joint Innovation Partnership 2.0 and the India-Sweden Technology and Artificial Intelligence Corridor, to setting an ambitious goal of doubling bilateral trade in the next five years, the discussions were highly productive," he added.
PM Modi will now travel to Norway for the 3rd India-Nordic Summit in Oslo on May 19 and hold bilateral talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Congratulations VD Satheesan! But I'm concerned about the IUML presence in the cabinet. The party's communal stance has always been problematic. Hope the new government focuses on development and not appeasement politics.
Interesting to see the global context here with Modi's Sweden visit. The development corridors and AI partnerships show India's rising global profile. Hope Kerala also benefits from these technological collaborations.
LDF's loss is a clear message from Kerala voters. Time for the new government to address real issues like unemployment, infrastructure, and education. Let's see if Satheesan can deliver. The 20-member cabinet seems bloated though.
The presence of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi shows Congress is taking this seriously. But the real test will be governance. Kerala needs better healthcare, waste management, and job creation. Satheesan has big shoes to fill after Pinarayi Vijayan's tenure.
The UDF's 102 seats is a massive mandate. But what worries me is the IUML's influence - 22 seats means they'll have significant say in policy. Let's hope secular governance prevails over communal considerations. Kerala's composite culture must be protected.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.