Thiruvananthapuram: With 14 first-timers, two women, and two Scheduled Caste members, 20 ministers, along with new Chief Minister and Congress leader V.D. Satheesan, are taking oath Monday.
The list was announced by Satheesan—himself a cabinet first-timer—after submitting it to Governor Rajendra Arlekar.
The Cabinet, including the CM, has 12 ministers from the Congress and five from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), with other alliance partners such as Kerala Congress (Joseph), Kerala Congress (Jacob), the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), and Communist Marxist Party (CMP) securing one ministerial position each.
The list was finalised after days of discussions and negotiations between Congress leaders and alliance partners, and overseen by the All-India Congress Committee leadership.
“This is the fastest decision taken in the history of the Congress regarding a ministers’ list. The Congress has 63 MLAs, and there are many deserving people among them. In fact, there are several truly deserving leaders whom we could not accommodate in the Cabinet. But we have only 11 positions available. So, while considering factors like social balance and regional balance, we were unable to include many deserving people. I feel great sadness and difficulty about that, because they are all very close colleagues of mine,” Satheesan said Sunday.
The party has decided on Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, one of the senior-most members of this Assembly, as the Speaker. Shanimol Usman will be the Deputy Speaker. The post of Chief Whip is to be given to the Kerala Congress (Joseph), but is yet to be announced.
Portfolios of the ministers are yet to be finalised, but Congress sources told ThePrint that Ramesh Chennithala, who was disappointed at being overlooked for chief minister, will be given the Home Department. Meanwhile, Left social media handles have criticised the list for inducting many politicians whom they call ‘nepo kids’, which includes K. Muraleedharan, son of K. Karunakaran; Shibu Baby John, son of Baby John, and Anoop Jacob, son of T.M. Jacob.
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V.D. Satheesan
The Chief Minister, representing Ernakulam district’s Paravoor constituency, Satheesan was the Leader of Opposition in the previous Kerala government led by Pinarayi Vijayan. Satheesan’s selection as the Chief Minister came after internal discussions and lobbying that lasted over 10 days for the post by three leaders, including Satheesan himself, AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala. Though most of the legislators suggested Venugopal’s name, Satheesan was chosen by the high command due to the public support in his favour.
Satheesan is expected to handle the departments of finance, ports, and law, though an official announcement is yet to be made.
Ramesh Chennithala
One of the senior-most and popular leaders in the Cabinet, Ramesh Chennithala has been given the departments of home and vigilance in the Cabinet. Chennithala’s role assumes significance as the leader was one of the three contenders for chief minister, along with Satheesan and K.C. Venugopal.
According to sources in the Congress, the 69-year-old leader was upset over the high command’s decision to anoint Satheesan, bypassing his seniority as well as administrative experience and party loyalty. However, the leader publicly maintained that he accepted the party’s decision. On Friday, a day after the announcement, Satheesan met Chennithala to seek his support for the government. Both Venugopal and Satheesan also consider Chennithala their political mentor.
Representing Alappuzha’s Harippad constituency, Chennithala was the state’s youngest minister at the age of 28 in 1986, serving as Minister for Rural Development in the K. Karunakaran government. The leader also handled the Home Department in the Oommen Chandy government in 2014–16, during which time he launched ‘Operation Kubera’ and the anti-drug initiative ‘Clean Campus Safe Campus’.
The leader has also held various leadership roles in the Congress, having led the Kerala Students Union (KSU), National Students Union of India (NSUI), and Indian Youth Congress between the 1970s and 2000. He became the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president in 2005, and the Leader of Opposition in the first Pinarayi Vijayan government (2016–21). The Congress Working Committee member is also in charge of the AICC in Maharashtra.
K. Muraleedharan
Another senior leader and former KPCC president, K. Muraleedharan is the son of former Chief Minister K. Karunakaran. Currently representing Thiruvananthapuram’s Vattiyoorkavu constituency, the senior leader is a former three-time Lok Sabha MP from Kozhikode and once from Vatakara. The leader also held the power portfolio in the Kerala government under A.K. Antony in 2004. He was also the president of the KPCC from 2001 to 2004.
Known for his blunt and open style, the leader enjoys much popularity among Congress leaders. During the chief ministerial race, he was also among the few leaders who openly appealed to the high command that public sentiment should be taken into consideration while deciding the chief minister, thus favouring Satheesan.
Sunny Joseph
Four-time MLA from Kannur’s Peravoor, Sunny Joseph is one of the most prominent Christian faces in the party and is also the incumbent president of the KPCC. Joseph was appointed KPCC president in early 2025, replacing senior Congress leader K. Sudhakaran, who also hails from Kannur.
Joseph’s appointment was seen as outreach to both the Christian and hill farmers’ communities in the party. Before becoming the KPCC president, the leader held the post of District Congress Committee president in Kannur. In the recently concluded polls, Joseph defeated senior CPI(M) leader K.K. Shailaja.
A.P. Anil Kumar
Representing Malappuram district’s Wandoor constituency since 2001, Anil Kumar began his political career through student and youth organisations. He previously served as Kerala’s Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes in the Oommen Chandy government from 2011 to 2016. Known for his calm style and grassroots connect, Anil Kumar is regarded within Congress as an experienced and organisationally disciplined leader with a focus on welfare and social justice issues.
Roji M. John
Former National President of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Roji M. John is one of the young faces in the Cabinet. The 42-year-old has been representing Ernakulam’s Angamaly constituency since 2016. The politician’s induction signals the Satheesan government’s push to project a younger cabinet.
Bindhu Krishna
One of the three women in the Satheesan Cabinet, Bindu Krishna represents the Kollam Assembly seat that was previously held by actor-politician Mukesh for the Left Democratic Front. Hailing from the Ezhava community, she was the president of the Kerala Pradesh Mahila Congress in 2016.
M. Liju
Vice-president of the KPCC, M. Liju represents the Kayamkulam constituency in Alappuzha. Liju has held various organisational roles in the Congress, including Alappuzha district president and state chief of the Youth Congress.
P.C. Vishnunath
P. C. Vishnunath represents Ernakulam district’s Kundara constituency. He entered politics via the Kerala Students Union (KSU), and later held several organisational positions within the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). In 2017, he also served as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary in charge of Karnataka.
T. Siddique
Representing the Kalpetta constituency, T. Siddique has been the Congress’s face in Wayanad, the Lok Sabha constituency represented by Priyanka Gandhi. He was a KSU leader, former state president of Youth Congress Kerala, KPCC General Secretary, and KPCC Vice-President at various times.
The leader was named the party’s candidate in Wayanad in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, but stepped down after Rahul Gandhi decided to contest from there. The leader is also considered a loyalist of K.C. Venugopal.
K.A. Thulasi
Popularly known as ‘Thulasi Teacher’, K.A. Thulasi wrested the reserved Kongad seat in Palakkad from the Left. She is the KPCC General Secretary and former Head of the History Department at Nenmara NSS College, and wife of Palakkad MP V.K. Sreekandan.
O.J. Janeesh
Thirty-seven-year-old O.J. Janeesh is another young face in the Cabinet. Janeesh represents the Kodungallur constituency in Thrissur district. Janeesh’s rise nearly a year after he was appointed State President of the Kerala Pradesh Youth Congress after the party suspended former Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil.
P.K. Kunhalikutty
Besides this, the most important among the five IUML ministers is P.K. Kunhalikutty, another senior-most figure in the cabinet. A seasoned politician, he serves as National General Secretary of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and former Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly.
The eight-time MLA from different constituencies in Malappuram district, Kunhalikutty handled Industries and Social Welfare from 1991 to 1996, was Minister for Industries and Municipalities from 1995 to 1996, and Minister for Industries, IT, and Social Welfare from 2001 to 2004 in two A.K. Antony ministries. He was also Minister for Industries, IT, and Social Welfare from 2004 to 2005, and Minister for IT and Industries from 2011 to 2016.
N. Samsudheen
N. Samsudheen is a four-time MLA representing Palakkad district’s Mannarkkad constituency.
K.M. Shaji
President of the State Muslim Youth League, K.M. Shaji is known for his social media presence as well as public criticism of the CPI(M). The popular leader represents Kannur district’s Azhikode constituency and has also landed in multiple controversies, including his remarks against the LGBTQIA community.
In 2018, the Kerala High Court disqualified the leader on allegations of communalising the 2016 Assembly election in the same constituency, which was later stayed by the Supreme Court.
P.K. Basheer
Malappuram district’s Ernad MLA, Basheer has previously held many organisational leadership positions in the IUML. He is the son of former IUML legislator Seethi Haji and is considered to have led the IUML’s rehabilitation project for the 2024 Wayanad landslide survivors.
V.E. Abdul Gafoor
Abdul Gafoor enters the Kerala Cabinet by winning in Ernakulam district’s Kalamassery constituency, a seat previously held by former LDF minister P. Rajeev.
Besides the Congress and IUML, the 21-member cabinet includes one minister each from other alliance partners such as Kerala Congress (Joseph), Kerala Congress (Jacob), the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), and Communist Marxist Party (CMP).
Mons Joseph
Representing Kottayam district’s Kaduthuruthy constituency, Mons Joseph is a seasoned politician from the Kerala Congress (Joseph) party. He was Minister for Public Works from October 2007 till his resignation in October 2009, making way for party chairman P.J. Joseph to become the minister.
C.P. John
Representing the CMP party, C.P. John was a former State Planning Board member. John represents the Thiruvananthapuram Central constituency.
Shibu Baby John
The RSP leader represents Kollam district’s Chavara Assembly constituency in Kerala. The leader previously held the Labour portfolio from 2012 to 2016 in the Oommen Chandy cabinet. He is the son of former RSP leader Baby John.
Anoop Jacob
Son of Kerala Congress (Jacob) party founder T.M. Jacob, Anoop represents Ernakulam district’s Piravom constituency. He has been representing the constituency consecutively since 2012, after it was left vacant following the death of his father. He had also held the Food and Civil Supplies department from 2012 to 2016 in the Oommen Chandy Cabinet.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)