Kerala swearing-in ceremony LIVE: Satheesan, along with Cabinet, to take oath today

Congress workers and the general public have filled the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram two hours before the swearing-in ceremony of the Congress-led United Democratic Front government, headed by V.D. Satheesan. 

A huge pavilion has been set up at the stadium, which is situated just behind the State Secretariat.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. The police have placed barricades on roads leading to the Stadium to control the flow of people. 

-Tiki Rajwi

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) will get five ministerial berths in the United Democratic Front (UDF) Cabinet in Kerala.

Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal, IUML State president, identified the Ministers-designate as P.K. Kunhalikutty, P.K. Basheer, V.E. Abdul Gafoor, K.M. Shaji, and N. Samsudheen.

IUML to get five Cabinet posts in UDF government in Kerala

IUML secures five Cabinet posts in Kerala's UDF government, with ministers-designate named by state president Syed Sadiq Ali Thangal.

Thiruvananthapuram witnessed hectic preparations ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the new United Democratic Front (UDF) government.

A massive pavilion capable of accommodating nearly 30,000 people has been erected inside the Central Stadium premises, the venue of the ceremony. Roofing sheets, lighting systems, seating arrangements and stage infrastructure have been put in place.

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Heavy security, elaborate traffic curbs in place for Kerala Cabinet swearing-in

Heavy security and traffic curbs in Thiruvananthapuram for Kerala Cabinet swearing-in, expecting 1 lakh attendees at the event.

As a Congress-led ‘full Cabinet’ is being sworn in after six decades in Kerala on Monday (May 18), the six northern districts are getting eight ministerial berths. However, Kozhikode and Kasaragod will not have any representation in the government for the time being.

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Kerala’s Chief Minister-designate, V D Satheesan, on Sunday sought to dispel what he termed as “hate propaganda” targeting the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key United Democratic Front (UDF) ally. 

Flanked by IUML’s top leadership, including the party’s State president, Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal and national general secretary, P.K. Kunhalikutty, Mr. Satheesan said he would counter attempts to portray the IUML as an anti-secular outfit with a “prompt, strong and fitting reply”.

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A few months before the Assembly polls, V.D. Satheesan, the then Opposition Leader of the Kerala Legislative Assembly, created a political flutter by declaring that he would opt for political exile if he failed to bring the party back to power. The announcement was greeted with usual cynicism.

Many political observers even dismissed it as an astute move of a canny politician to energise the party and its rank and file for the crucial election. A few months after the declaration, Mr. Satheesan is set to assume office as Kerala Chief Minister, after leading the Congress-led alliance to victory over the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and outmanoeuvring two senior colleagues in the race for the top post.

Read more:

V.D. Satheesan | The ‘Nehruvian’ revivalist

V.D. Satheesan, a Nehruvian revivalist, leads Congress to a historic victory in Kerala, marking his ascent to Chief Minister.