Kerala chief minister-designate VD Satheesan along with 20 ministers, including 11 from the Congress and five from its ally, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), will be sworn-in as part of the new United Democratic Front (UDF) government in an elaborate ceremony in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, marking the return of the coalition to power in the southern state after a decade.VD Satheesan also denied speculations that senior leaders Ramesh Chennithala and KC Venugopal lobbied for cabinet berths for their loyalists. (PTI)The UDF swept the recently concluded Kerala assembly polls, winning 102 of the state’s 140 seats, ousting the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. The LDF won 35 seats while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the remaining three seats, its best ever performance in Kerala.Addressing a press conference after submitting the list of ministers to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Lok Bhavan, Satheesan said the names were finalised after two days of hectic discussions among alliance leaders, taking into account social and regional balance within the coalition.ALSO READ | Who is part of Kerala's new cabinet? Full list of ministers named by CM-designate Satheesan“There are deserving leaders among the 63 MLAs of the Congress who we could not, unfortunately, accommodate. As a party, the Congress has to look at social and regional balance too. The list was formed after several rounds of consultations with senior UDF leaders,” Satheesan said.Regarding portfolio allocation, Satheesan said it was almost finalised and would be discussed further with alliance partners.“Usually, portfolio details are submitted to the Governor after the swearing-in ceremony. We will submit them on Monday. After the Governor’s approval, it will be published as a gazette notification,” he said, adding that there was an understanding with alliance partners on portfolio sharing, and further discussions would be held.Satheesan was named as the Congress Legislature Party leader 10 days after the May 4 results amid hectic lobbying in a three-corner race also involving senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala and AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, to the top post.The ministers announced include senior Congress leaders and former ministers Chennithala, K Muraleedharan, and AP Anil Kumar, besides KPCC chief Sunny Joseph, KPCC working presidents PC Vishnunadh, AP Anil Kumar and T Siddique.ALSO READ | KC Venugopal reveals his 'utmost desire' after VD Satheesan picked as Kerala CM | WatchChennithala, 69, is likely to be in charge of the home and vigilance departments, party leaders said. The speculation gained traction after state police chief Ravada Chandrasekhar and ADGP H Venkatesh called on Chennithala at his Thiruvananthapuram residence. Responding to a question on whether it was a meeting with the home minister-designate, Chandrasekhar said it was a courtesy call and that they conveyed their congratulations to Chennithala.“We also sought his directions and instructions. We discussed the swearing-in programme and the arrangements made for it,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.Joseph, the current KPCC chief who was elected for the fourth time to the assembly defeating CPI(M) veteran KK Shailaja in Peravoor, will be the sole representative from Kannur district and is expected to be given the revenue portfolio. Muraleedharan, the giant slayer who lost from Thrissur Lok Sabha to the BJP in 2024 and won the recent elections from Vattiyoorkavu, is likely to be given health and temple affairs portfolios, considering his seniority and past administrative experience, a Congress leader said. Muraleedharan was a minister for a brief three-month period in 2004.ALSO READ | Split tenure plan for Kerala CM post shot down in Delhi during Congress leadership talksWhile Satheesan, Chennithala, Muraleedhara and Vishnunadh— who was elected for the second time from Kundara in Kollam district — hail from the forward-caste Nair community, Anil Kumar, a six-time legislator from Wandoor constituency in Malappuram district, is a member of the Scheduled Caste (SC) community.Bindhu Krishna, MLA-elect from Kollam, and KA Thulasi, MLA-elect from Kongad, will be the two women faces in the UDF cabinet. Both are first-time MLAs and belong to the Ezhava and SC communities, respectively. Other Congress leaders in the cabinet are third-time MLA-elect M Liju, youth leader Roji M John and Youth Congress state president OJ Janeesh.The cabinet picks indicate that the Congress has largely taken efforts to ensure social, religious, and regional balance. There are five leaders, including the CM-designate from the Nair community, three from the OBC Ezhava community, two from the SC community and two leaders from the Christian community. Though the party won from two Scheduled Tribe-reserved seats, they were not included in the cabinet.‘No Congress leader pressurised me for berth’Satheesan also denied speculations that senior leaders Chennithala and Venugopal lobbied for cabinet berths for their loyalists.“No Congress leader pressurised (me) for a cabinet berth. The leadership collectively finalised the names. The cabinet does not bear the stamp of any particular faction,” he said.The UDF has also decided to appoint senior legislator Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan (76) as the speaker of the assembly, while Shanimol Usman, MLA-elect from Aroor, will serve as deputy speaker.The IUML, a key UDF ally with 22 seats, announced its list of five ministers for the new Kerala cabinet headed by Satheesan. The party named veteran leader PK Kunhalikutty, PK Basheer, KM Shaji, N Shamsudheen and VE Abdul Gafoor as the new ministers in the upcoming cabinet. Apart from Kunhalikutty, the four others are first-time ministers. While Kunhalikutty, Shaji and Basheer come from the IUML stronghold of Malappuram, Shamsudheen hails from Palakkad district and Gafoor from Ernakulam district.In a special arrangement as part of regional balancing, IUML leaders said, Gafoor will be minister for the first two-and-a-half years and make way for Parakkal Abdullah for the remaining period.Among other allies, Mons Joseph of the Kerala Congress (Joseph), Shibu Baby John from the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), CP John from the Communist Marxist Party (CMP) and Anoop Jacob (Kerala Congress - Jacob) has been named for inclusion in the cabinet. Though KC (Joseph) won seven seats and demanded two cabinet berths, the Congress allocated one ministry berth and the post of chief whip.Satheesan’s office informed that Apu John Joseph, son of Kerala Congress chairman PJ Joseph, elected from Thodupuzha, will be the chief whip.Several top Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and chief ministers of party-ruled states are likely to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Satheesan and new UDF government to be held at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Satheesan said that former chief minister and CPI (M) veteran Pinarayi Vijayan, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam, are also expected to attend.Earlier in the day, Venugopal, who lost the CM’s race against Satheesan despite reports of having maximum support from legislators-elect, said the UDF would have “one of the most capable teams” of ministers.Speaking to reporters in Alappuzha, his home constituency in the Lok Sabha, Venugopal said: “We will have one of the most capable teams as ministers in the UDF government. The state is waiting in hope for a new regime that can bring meaningful change and work for the public, rather than indulge in unnecessary controversies. The UDF government is preparing itself for that responsibility and should be given time to function.”He added that the five poll guarantees given by the UDF will be implemented. The guarantees include free bus travel for women and a monthly assistance of ₹1,000 for college-going girl students.(With PTI inputs)