VD Satheesan moves into Keralam CM's official residence, Cliff House
Thiruvananthapuram, June 25
Keralam Chief Minister VD Satheesan moved into the Cliff House in Nanthancode, Thiruvananthapuram, on Thursday. The property serves as the official residence of the state's Chief Minister.
Satheesan previously resided at the Cantonment House, the residence of the Leader of the Opposition in Keralam Assembly. The Cliff House was formerly occupied by his predecessor, Pinarayi Vijayan.
VD Satheesan's move comes a month after he was sworn in as Keralam's 13th Chief Minister on May 18 at a ceremony at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administering the oath of office.
His swearing-in followed the Congress-led United Democratic Front's return to power after a decade out of office in the state, with the UDF winning a sweeping 102 of 140 Assembly seats in results declared on May 4, against 35 for the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and three for the BJP.
Since taking office, Satheesan has been active on governance and fiscal matters.
Earlier on June 19, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government presented a revised State Budget for 2026-27, paving the way for a "New Age Kerala" (Puthuyuga Keralam) through reforms in health and education, employment generation, social welfare and infrastructure development.
In his maiden Budget address in the Keralam Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister VD Satheesan, who also holds the Finance portfolio, launched a scathing attack on the previous Pinrayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration, accusing it of "deceptive practices" and leaving the state in a "staggering debt trap".
The Revised Budget, which is a modification of the 2026-27 pre-poll Budget presented by the LDF in January this year, envisages revenue receipts of Rs 1,69,646.37 crore and revenue expenditure of Rs 2,05,001.67 crore.
He has also called for an inter-state push against narcotics, seeking enhanced cooperation from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to dismantle drug trafficking networks under Kerala's "Operation Toofan" campaign.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As a Malayali, I'm cautiously optimistic. The previous govt's fiscal mess is undeniable, but shifting blame alone won't fix the debt. Satheesan's narcotics push is a good start—drugs are ruining our youth in Kerala. Cliff House or not, results matter.
Satheesan moving into Cliff House is more symbolic than substantive. The real challenge is the Rs 35,355 crore deficit in the revised budget. Hope "Puthuyuga Keralam" isn't just rebranded LDF schemes. Operations like Toofan need genuine coordination with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, not just press meets.
From the US, watching Kerala's political shift is fascinating. I appreciate the emphasis on inter-state cooperation on drugs—that's a serious issue everywhere. Hope Satheesan's fiscal discipline matches the rhetoric. The Cliff House change is just a backdrop, really.
Truth be told, the LDF left a huge mess. But Satheesan blaming them while sitting in their former residence feels a bit ironic. 😅 Let's hope the "scathing attack" translates into actual improvement for our hospitals and schools. Cliff House shouldn't be a palace of empty promises.
As someone who voted for UDF this time, I'm watching closely. The revised budget's revenue expenditure of Rs 2,05,001.67 crore is huge—need growth, not just rhetoric. Good to see him taking the drug issue seriously, though. That "Operation Toofan" needs real bite.
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