Kerala portfolios: CM Satheesan keeps 35 ministries, including finance; Chennithala gets home

Key points

• Thiruvananthapuram: Newly sworn-in Kerala Minister Ramesh Chennithala being congratulated by LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during the swearing-in ceremony of the state government, in Thiruvananthapuram.
• (PTI Photo) (With PTI inputs) NEW DELHI: Kerala governor Rajendra Arlekar on Wednesday approved the portfolio allocation recommended by chief minister VD Satheesan, the Lok Bhavan said, two days after the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government was sworn in.The UDF returned to power in Kerala after a decade, defeating the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the April 9 assembly elections.
• The alliance secured 102 seats in the 140-member assembly, including 63 won by the Congress.Satheesan, who served as leader of opposition in the previous assembly, will oversee 35 departments, including finance, law, general administration, and ports.Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who was a contender for the chief minister’s post before Satheesan was chosen, has been given the key home portfolio.
• Chennithala will also...