Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], May 18 : Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday extended best wishes to newly formed United Democratic Front-led Keralam government following the swearing-in ceremony.
Congress President reached Thiruvananthapuram airport, along with Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, party MPs KC Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, as they returned after attending the oath-taking ceremony of the Keralam government led by Chief Minister VD Satheesan.
Speaking briefly with the reporters at the airport, Kharge said, "Good Luck for Keralam."
Congress leader VD Satheesan was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Keralam today, officially bringing the Congress-led UDF back to power after a ten-year hiatus, following their landslide victory in the 2026 Assembly elections.
The ceremony saw a massive turnout of top political heavyweights, signalling the national significance of the UDF's victory. The event was attended by: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, MP Priyanka Gandhi, and General Secretary KC Venugopal.
It included Congress Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers like Siddaramaiah (Karnataka), alongside Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, Revanth Reddy (Telangana), and Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh).
Former Keralam CM Pinarayi Vijayan, former Assembly Speaker AN Shamsheer, Keralam BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and CPI leader Binoy Viswam also attended the swearing-in ceremony.
Alongside Satheesan, a 20-member Cabinet took the oath. Satheesan noted that government formation was completed in under 24 hours, the fastest in Kerala's history, while carefully managing regional and social demographics.
"We have discussed with the coalition partners... and within 24 hours, we have completed the entire process," Satheesan said.
"We have to consider the social and regional balance and the representation of women and Dalit representation... We have included two members from the SC, and women's representation has been ensured."His 20-member Cabinet was also sworn in, including 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.
The swearing-in ceremony comes after the UDF secured a decisive mandate in the 2026 Keralam Assembly elections, ending the Left Democratic Front's (LDF) 10-year rule in the state.
Satheesan won the 2026 Assembly election from the Paravur constituency, securing his sixth consecutive term as an MLA.
Satheesan secured 78,658 votes and defeated CPI candidate ET Taison Master by a margin of 20,600 votes. He has represented the Paravur constituency for 25 years, having first won the seat in 2001.