Today, Monday, in Thiruvananthapuram, not only was a Chief Minister sworn in, but the Congress also sent a powerful message of its political strength from the land of South India. Just as the Bharatiya Janata Party recently transformed the swearing-in ceremonies of Suvendu Adhikari in West Bengal and Himanta Biswa Sarma in Assam into a show of strength, the Congress similarly showcased its biggest political platform in Kerala. As Congress leader VD Satheesan took the oath of office as Chief Minister, almost the entire top leadership of opposition politics appeared on stage. Governor Rajendra Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to VD Satheesan. Twenty ministers of the new Council of Ministers also took their oaths of office alongside him. The atmosphere during the swearing-in ceremony reverberated with slogans and political messages from Congress supporters. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi were among the highlights.
The presence of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi was considered very important for the Congress, as both leaders are considered to have a direct political influence in the politics of Wayanad and Kerala. Many Chief Ministers and senior leaders of Congress-ruled states also attended the function. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar were also present on the stage. Apart from these, ministers, MPs and senior leaders of the organization from many Congress-ruled states also reached Thiruvananthapuram. Through this function, Congress tried to give a clear signal that its political base is still strong in South India and the party has the potential to become the center of opposition politics. Leaders from various parties including former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar also attended the event. However, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor could not attend the function due to his foreign tour.
Congress did not limit this swearing-in ceremony to a mere constitutional process, but presented it as a demonstration of opposition unity and organisational strength. After taking oath as Chief Minister, VD Satheesan said that this government would be a government of public expectations and trust. He said that after almost 60 years, such an occasion has come when the entire Council of Ministers has taken oath together in Kerala. Earlier in 1962, the then Chief Minister R Sankar had taken oath collectively with his entire Council of Ministers. Satheesan said that his government would give priority to development, employment, social justice and administrative transparency.
Fourteen new faces have been included in the new government’s council of ministers. Among them, leaders like CP John, N Shamsuddin, KM Shaji, PK Basheer, VE Abdul Gafoor, PC Vishnunath, Rosy M John, Bindu Krishna, T Siddiqui, KA Thulasi, and OJ Janish were sworn in as ministers for the first time. The Congress also retained the posts of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan has been appointed Speaker and Shanimol Usman as Deputy Speaker.
After much deliberation on the chief ministerial face, consensus was reached on the name of Satishan.
The assembly election results, announced on May 4th, gave the United Democratic Front a clear majority, and Congress emerged as the state’s single largest party. Following this, intense deliberations within the party over the Chief Minister’s post continued for several days. The names of VD Satheesan and Ramesh Chennithala emerged as prominent candidates. Rahul Gandhi’s initial choice was considered to be KC Venugopal, while some senior party leaders also favored Ramesh Chennithala. However, the Kerala Congress organization and the United Democratic Front’s allies strongly rallied behind VD Satheesan.
Congress supporters in several areas, including Wayanad, put up posters to convey to the top leadership that the state’s people and workers want Satheesan as Chief Minister. Congress Legislature Party meetings revealed divergent opinions, but later, three former state presidents and United Democratic Front allies endorsed Satheesan’s name. In particular, the Indian Union Muslim League and the Kerala Congress (Joseph) openly declared their support for Satheesan. Following this, the Congress leadership officially announced V.D. Satheesan’s name on May 14th.
The Satishan government now faces the daunting challenge of managing the state’s economy, reducing unemployment, accelerating development projects, and fulfilling Congress’s election promises. However, the Congress’s display of political unity and strength at the swearing-in ceremony clearly signals that the party sees Kerala as a strong center of its national politics in the coming years.
