6 hours ago
2
ARTICLE AD BOX
3 min readThiruvananthapuramUpdated: May 20, 2026 05:58 PM IST
Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan addresses a press conference after a cabinet meeting, in Thiruvananthapuram. (PTI Photo)
Congress will hold home, finance, health and tourism while junior ally Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) will keep its previously-held key departments of industries, public works, general education, and local self-government while adding fisheries and rural development to its kitty, as the V D Satheesan government announced portfolio allocation Wednesday.
In the 21-strong cabinet, Chief Minister V D Satheesan will hold finance, ports and law after being forced to surrender the high-profile home and vigilance portfolios to senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, who lost the race for the post of CM. Congress got revenue (A P Anil Kumar), health and devaswom (K Muraleedharan), electricity (Sunny Joseph), tourism (P C Vishnunadh) and agriculture (T Siddique).
Meanwhile, junior ally IUML retained the portfolios it held during the previous UDF regime, besides adding fisheries and rural development — both previously held by the Congress — to its basket.
Senior IUML minister P K Kunhalikutty, who took oath as second in the cabinet, got industries, IT, mining, AI and startups. Kunhalikutty had held the industries portfolio during the last two UDF tenures.
IUML also retained general education — which the Congress had coveted — as well as public works and local bodies. The Congress also conceded the rural development portfolio to IUML.
Higher education, which the previous LDF regime had hived off from the education portfolio, was allotted to Congress minister Roji M John.
RSP nominee Shibu Baby John is forest minister, while Communist Marxist Party’s (CMP) C P John got transport. Kerala Congress (Joseph) nominee Mons Joseph is irrigation minister, while Kerala Congress (Jacob)’s Anoop Jacob got civil supplies. With Satheesan taking the Pollution Control Board, environment went to electricity minister Sunny Joseph.
Story continues below this ad
The Latin Catholic community, living in Kerala’s coastal areas, had earlier protested against handing over the fisheries portfolio to IUML. The minority development portfolio, which had been a bone of contention between Muslims and Christians in Kerala, has also gone to IUML.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church wanted the Congress to take over the department, alleging disparity in distribution of benefits when Muslim ministers handled the portfolio in the past. When the previous LDF regime assumed office in 2011, Pinarayi Vijayan took over the minority welfare department. In his first regime, the department was handled by K T Jaleel, a Communist Party of India (Marxist)-backed legislator.
Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's coverage from Kerala. With over 25 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political, religious, and developmental landscape of South India. Expertise, Experience, and Authority Decades of Regional Specialization: Shaju has spent more than two decades documenting the "Kerala Model" of development, its complex communal dynamics, and its high-stakes political environment. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive reporting portfolio includes: Political & Governance Analysis: In-depth tracking of the LDF and UDF coalitions, the growth of the BJP in the state, and the intricate workings of the Kerala administration. Crime & Investigative Journalism: Noted for his coverage of high-profile cases such as the gold smuggling probe, political killings, and the state’s counter-terrorism efforts regarding radicalization modules. Crisis Management: He has led ground-level reporting during major regional crises, including the devastating 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreaks, and the Covid-19 pandemic response. ... Read More
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
English (US) ·