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Keralam Chief Minister VD Satheesan on Tuesday held his first official meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after assuming office earlier this month.
During the meeting, Satheesan presented the Prime Minister with a wooden figurine depicting a Kathakali dancer, symbolising Kerala's rich cultural heritage. The meeting comes days after the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) returned to power in Keralam after a gap of ten years. Satheesan took oath as the state's 13th Chief Minister on May 18 at a grand ceremony held at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Satheesan and his council of ministers in the presence of thousands of supporters, party workers and political leaders. Along with the Chief Minister, 20 ministers were sworn in, including 14 first-time ministers, two women ministers and two representatives from the Scheduled Caste community. The Congress secured 11 ministerial berths in the new cabinet, while ally Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) received five portfolios. Other allies, including Kerala Congress factions, the Revolutionary Socialist Party and the Communist Marxist Party, were also represented in the ministry. The UDF recorded a decisive victory in the Assembly elections held on April 9. Results declared on May 4 showed the alliance winning 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly, while the Left Democratic Front (LDF) secured 35 seats and the BJP won three seats. Earlier this month, the Keralam government announced portfolio allocations for the new cabinet. Chief Minister Satheesan retained major departments, including Finance, Law, Ports, Airports, Railways, Metro Rail and Pollution Control. Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala was assigned the Home portfolio, while K Muraleedharan took charge of Health and Medical Education. P K Kunhalikutty was entrusted with Industries, Commerce and Information Technology. The new UDF government has indicated that infrastructure development, investment, employment generation and welfare programmes will be among its key priorities in the coming months. (ANI)
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