From Congress Veterans To First-Time MLAs: A Look At Kerala’s New Cabinet
From Congress Veterans To First-Time MLAs: A Look At Kerala’s New Cabinet Published By, Last Updated: May 18, 2026, 14:01 IST V D Satheesan sworn
From Congress Veterans To First-Time MLAs: A Look At Kerala’s New Cabinet Published By, Last Updated: May 18, 2026, 14:01 IST V D Satheesan sworn in as Kerala Chief Minister in Thiruvananthapuram, leading a 20 member UDF Cabinet including senior Congress and IUML leaders Rapid Read Kerala Chief Minister-designate VD Satheesan, LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, party MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal and others during the swearing-in ceremony of the state government. (PTI) VD Satheesan on Monday took oath as Kerala Chief Minister at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, marking the return of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) to power after a decade. Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to Satheesan and his 20-member Council of Ministers. Kerala CM Oath-Taking LIVE The Cabinet includes senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan and KPCC chief Sunny Joseph, along with Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders P K Kunhalikutty, P K Basheer, N Samsudheen, K M Shaji and V E Abdul Gafoor. Other ministers in the new Cabinet include Mons Joseph, Shibu Baby John, Anoop Jacob, C P John, A P Anil Kumar, T Siddique, P C Vishnunath, Roji M John, Bindu Krishna, M Liju, K A Thulasi and O J Janeesh. The UDF Ministers Are Ramesh Chennithala, who turns 70 later this month, is among the seniormost members of the new Kerala Cabinet and currently serves as a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee. A veteran legislator first elected in 1982, Chennithala became a minister at the age of 28 in 1986. Over a political career spanning nearly five decades, he has served as president of the KSU, Youth Congress and the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee. He was home minister in the previous Congress-led government from 2014 to 2016 and later served as Leader of Opposition during the first Pinarayi Vijayan government. Lok Sabha MP K Muraleedharan, 69, carries forward the political legacy of his father and former Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran.
Muraleedharan entered electoral politics in 1989, winning the Lok Sabha polls from Kozhikode. A former state Congress president, he briefly served as power minister in the A K Antony Cabinet in 2004 before stepping down after losing a bypoll within six months. Sunny Joseph, 73, currently heads the Kerala Congress unit and has represented the Peravoor Assembly constituency in Kannur since 2011. He defeated CPI(M) leader K K Shailaja in the recent elections. Joseph rose within the Congress organisation in Kannur during the tenure of veteran leader K Sudhakaran as district Congress president. PC Vishnunath, 48, is one of the working presidents of the KPCC. He first entered the Assembly in 2006 from Chengannur and was among the youngest legislators at the time. Vishnunath has held several organisational roles in the KSU and Youth Congress before becoming a member of the All India Congress Committee. He has represented Kundara in Kollam district since 2021. Bindu Krishna, 58, is a first-time MLA from Kollam and one of the Congress party’s prominent women leaders in Kerala. She earlier headed the Mahila Congress in the state and currently serves as Kollam DCC president. Her husband, S Krishna Kumar, is a Congress functionary in Thiruvananthapuram. T Siddique, 51, is a two-term MLA from Kalpetta in Wayanad district. A former Youth Congress state president, Siddique rose in prominence under the mentorship of late former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. He was initially fielded as the Congress candidate from Wayanad in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls before stepping aside for Rahul Gandhi. PK Kunhalikutty, 74, is one of the most influential leaders of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and has served in every UDF government since 1991. First elected in 1982 at the age of 29, the nine-time MLA was considered the second-in-command in the previous UDF Cabinet. N Samsudheen, 56, is an IUML state secretary and has represented Mannarkkad in Palakkad since 2011. A lawyer by profession, he entered politics through the Muslim Students Federation, the student wing of the IUML, and later served in local self-government before moving to state politics.
KM Shaji, 54, began his political career at the age of 22 as vice president of a village panchayat in Wayanad. Known as a vocal critic of Pinarayi Vijayan, he served in the student and youth wings of the IUML before becoming a senior party leader. He won Assembly elections from Azhikode in 2011 and 2016 and returned to the Assembly this time from Vengara. PK Basheer, 66, represents the Ernad constituency and is the son of former IUML legislator P Seethi Haji. Basheer rose through the ranks after serving in local self-government and currently oversees the IUML’s rehabilitation initiatives for Wayanad landslide victims. VE Abdul Gafoor, 49, is among the prominent IUML leaders from outside Malappuram district. A lawyer by profession, he is the son of late IUML leader V K Ibrahim Kunju. Gafoor lost the 2021 election from Kalamassery to CPI(M) leader P Rajeeve but reclaimed the seat this time. Mons Joseph, 61, represents Kaduthuruthy in Kottayam and earlier served as public works minister when his party was aligned with the Left Democratic Front between 2006 and 2009. A lawyer by profession, he began his political journey through the student wing of the Kerala Congress. Shibu Baby John, 63, is the son of veteran leader Baby John and previously served as minister in the earlier UDF government. Anoop Jacob entered the Assembly after the death of his father, former minister T M Jacob, and won the Piravom seat. He too served as minister in the earlier UDF regime. AP Anil Kumar, 61, has represented Vandoor since 2001 and is regarded as one of the Congress party’s prominent Dalit leaders in Kerala. The KPCC vice president has earlier served as minister in UDF governments between 2004-2006 and 2011-2016. KA Thulasi, 51, is a first-time MLA from Kongad in Palakkad and the wife of Palakkad MP V K Sreekandan. She entered politics through Congress student activism and currently serves as a KPCC general secretary.
CP John, 69, heads the Communist Marxist Party, a CPI(M) rebel outfit founded by late leader M V Raghavan in 1986. Though a senior UDF leader, this marks his first electoral victory. He had earlier served on the Kerala State Planning Board and currently functions as UDF secretary. OJ Janeesh, 37, is the youngest member of the Cabinet. The state Youth Congress president won from Kodungallur in his debut electoral contest. He was appointed to lead the Youth Congress after former president Rahul Mamkoottathil faced sexual assault allegations from multiple women. Roji M John, 43, has represented Angamaly since 2016 and is regarded as a key youth face of the Congress in Kerala. An MPhil graduate in political science from Jawaharlal Nehru University, he earlier served as national president of the NSUI and later as AICC secretary in charge of Karnataka. M Liju, 46, won from Kayamkulam in Alappuzha district, securing his first electoral victory after three consecutive defeats. He became state Youth Congress president in 2009 through an internal talent hunt initiative introduced by Rahul Gandhi and currently serves as one of the KPCC general secretaries. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location: Kerala, India, India First Published: May 18, 2026, 14:01 IST News india From Congress Veterans To First-Time MLAs: A Look At Kerala’s New Cabinet Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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