VD Satheesan takes oath as Kerala CM today. Full list of 20 ministers in UDF government

Congress leader VD Satheesan is set to take oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala today, along with his full Council of 20 ministers. Satheesan formally announced his next Cabinet on Sunday.

The swearing-in will be held at the Central Stadium in the Kerala state capital at 10 am today. Satheesan met Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Lok Bhavan on Sunday and submitted the list of ministers to be sworn in along with him.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government returned to power after a decade-long gap following a decisive electoral mandate in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections.

Satheesan's cabinet comprises experienced leaders and 14 first-time ministers, including two women and two members of the Scheduled Caste community.

With Kerala, Congress will have four state governments in India. The ither three are Telangana, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh.

Senior Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and several chief ministers, are expected to attend the swearing-in. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay has not confirmed his participation and may attend later. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was present at Vijay's oath-taking earlier this month.

At a press conference on Sunday, Satheesan said said former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam, and IUML leaders are also expected to attend.

Senior IUML leader P K Kunhalikutty, RSP leader Shibu Baby John, Kerala Congress leader Mons Joseph, and Kerala Congress (Jacob) leader Anoop Jacob will also be ministers.

All of them have served as ministers in the previous UDF government.

The new faces in the cabinet are C P John and IUML leaders N Shamsuddin, K M Shaji, P K Basheer, and V E Abdul Gafoor.

Congress leaders P C Vishnunadh, Roji M John, Bindu Krishna, T Siddique, K A Thulasi, and O J Janeesh are also among the new ministers from the party.

The UDF has also decided to appoint senior legislator Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan as Speaker of the Assembly, while Shanimol Usman will serve as Deputy Speaker.

The chief whip will be from Kerala Congress (J) and will be announced by party chairman P J Joseph.

Satheesan said several deserving leaders could not be accommodated in the cabinet despite the Congress securing 63 seats, calling it one of the party's biggest victories in the state.

"Let new faces come. There should be opportunity for all," Satheesan said.

The UDF secured a historic and decisive victory in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, bringing an end to the decade-long rule of the Left Democratic Front (LDF). Led by the Congress prty, which won 63 seats, the coalition achieved a landslide majority by capturing a total of 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly. The IUML won 22 seats, while the LDF won 35 seats and the BJP managed to win three constituencies.

(With agency inputs)