Kerala Cabinet oath: TN CM Vijay likely to skip event; Kharge, Rahul to attend

New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi will lead a high-profile delegation of national leaders attending the official swearing-in ceremony of Kerala's Chief Minister-designate V D Satheesan and his ministers. The mega event is scheduled to take place at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, May 18.

According to party insiders, newly elected Wayanad MP and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will also be present at the ceremony to mark the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) resounding return to power. However, there has been no formal confirmation regarding the attendance of Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

The ceremony will also see a massive gathering of Opposition leaders. Chief Minister-designate Satheesan had announced that Tamil Nadu’s newly sworn-in Chief Minister and TVK chief, C Joseph Vijay, will be attending the much-awaited function. However, now it is learnt that he would not be attending the same.

Nevertheless, the event will boast a strong regional presence, with the Chief Ministers of all Congress-governed states—including Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh—confirmed to attend.

The grand oath-taking ceremony, where Satheesan and his newly structured Cabinet will formally assume office, is scheduled to commence at 10.00 am on Monday. The event marks a historic transition for the state after the Congress-led UDF secured a landslide victory, clinching 102 out of the 140 seats in the Kerala Assembly elections.

(With PTI inputs)