Senior Congress leader VD Satheesan on Monday took oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala along with a 20-member Cabinet, marking the return of the Congress-led UDF to power in the coastal state after a decade.Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Satheesan and others at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram amid loud cheers from thousands of supporters waving UDF flags.”Heartfelt congratulations to VD Satheesan Ji, who has taken the oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala. I extend my best wishes for his tenure. To fulfill the aspirations of the people, the Central Government assures the newly formed Kerala Government of all possible support,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X.The UDF stormed to power after winning 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly, reducing the Left front to 35 seats while the BJP secured three. Satheesan, who has represented Paravur since 2001, assumed executive office for the first time despite being one of the Congress’s most prominent faces in Kerala politics.His Cabinet includes senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan, AP Anil Kumar and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief Jattvibeny Joseph. Alliance partners were also accommodated in the ministry, including leaders from the IUML, RSP, Kerala Congress factions and CMP.The Cabinet has 14 first-time ministers, underlining the Congress leadership’s attempt to balance experience with generational change. Congress leaders PC Vishnunadh, Roji M John, T Siddique and O J Janeesh were among those sworn in as ministers for the first time.The Cabinet has two women ministers, Kollam MLA Bindhu Krishna and Kongad legislator KA Thulasi, who also represents the Scheduled Caste community. AP Anil Kumar is the second SC representative in the ministry.In a notable departure from the rest of the Cabinet, RSP leader Shibu Baby John and CMP leader CP John chose to “solemnly affirm” their oath instead of taking it in the name of God, reflecting the socialist and Left-oriented ideological roots of their parties. K Muraleedharan stood out as the only minister to take both the oath of office and secrecy in English.The 90-minute ceremony was attended by senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states, Siddaramaiah, A Revanth Reddy and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Outgoing CM Pinarayi Vijayan, senior Left and BJP leaders also attended the event.”The people of Keralam fought for this government. Their voice will guide it. Warm congratulations to V D Satheesan ji and the entire cabinet, who will now represent the voice of every Keralite…the work begins now,” said Gandhi on X.Later, in its first Cabinet meeting chaired by Satheesan, the UDF government rolled out a series of welfare measures, including free travel for women in state buses, creation of a separate department for senior citizens, and a Rs 3,000 increase in the monthly honorarium of ASHA workers.It further announced a Rs 1,000 monthly increase in payments for Anganwadi workers and helpers, school meal staff, pre-primary teachers and ayahs.The Cabinet also cleared the formation of a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the alleged assault on Youth Congress leaders during the Nava Kerala Yatra in 2023. It also recommended senior MLA G Sudhakaran as the pro-tem Speaker.