Kerala CM Swearing-In Tomorrow: VD Satheesan Announces Full 21-Member Cabinet, See Complete Ministers List

VD Satheesan is set to be sworn in as chief minister of Kerala on 18 May, with a 21-member cabinet that reflects internal United Democratic Front negotiations on party strength, region and community. Satheesan has already submitted the names of 20 proposed ministers to Governor Rajendra Arlekar after final talks with alliance leaders.

Congress emerges as the largest partner in the new Kerala cabinet, holding 11 berths, while the Indian Union Muslim League secures five. Kerala Congress gets two places, and the Revolutionary Socialist Party and Communist Marxist Party Kerala State Committee receive one ministry each. The Congress-led UDF government will take oath at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.

New Kerala cabinet ministers and Kerala cabinet composition

Satheesan announced the list at a press briefing at Cantonment House in Thiruvananthapuram, where the CM-designate stressed that discussions across the coalition had shaped the final choices. The 20 ministers will be sworn in alongside Satheesan on 18 May. According to Satheesan, portfolio sharing was settled in consultation with every constituent party.

Satheesan underlined that the alliance considered both geography and community representation while building the Kerala cabinet. The CM-designate said there were 63 UDF MLAs qualified for ministerial roles, but numbers had to be limited. He noted that two ministers are from Scheduled Castes, two ministers are women, and the post of Deputy Speaker is also held by a woman.

Full list of Kerala cabinet ministers and Kerala cabinet parties

The complete list of Kerala cabinet ministers to be sworn in with VD Satheesan is as follows.

Satheesan highlighted how quickly decisions on the Kerala cabinet line-up and Kerala cabinet portfolios were finalised. “After 60 years, the full cabinet of UDF is going to be sworn in tomorrow at 10 am. Today 20 ministers list we have submitted to the Governor. Twenty-one ministers will be sworn in along with me,” ANI quoted Satheesan as saying.

The CM-designate said the distribution of responsibilities among Kerala cabinet ministers was wrapped up within a day. “…This is the fastest in the history of Kerala. Because even after election, the team UDF is team UDF, leaders are respecting each other,” Satheesan added, stressing unity within the coalition despite competitive politics in the state.

Satheesan explained that not every hopeful legislator could enter the Kerala cabinet, despite the large pool of experienced UDF members. He said the alliance had to maintain “social and regional balance.” “We are not able to include all the eligible persons in the cabinet. We have included two members from the SC, two women are in the Cabinet, and one Deputy Speaker is a woman,” Satheesan said, adding that they had done “maximum to accommodate.”

The oath-taking ceremony for the Kerala cabinet and VD Satheesan is expected to draw senior national and state leaders. Satheesan said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, deputy CM DK Shivakumar, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Sukhu, and ministers from various states are likely to attend, along with Pinarayi Vijayan, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Binoy Viswam and Pannakad Sadikal.