Rahul Gandhi publicly praised both VD Satheesan and KC Venugopal after the formation of the new government in Kerala.
May 18, 2026: Soon after VD Satheesan took oath as Kerala’s 13th chief minister, Rahul Gandhi posted a message congratulating the new cabinet and specifically thanked KC Venugopal for leading the election campaign. The message came after days of intense discussions within the Congress over the chief ministerial choice following the UDF’s massive victory in the Kerala Assembly elections.
The Congress-led UDF won 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly, with the Congress alone securing 63 seats. Despite strong backing from several senior leaders for KC Venugopal, the party leadership eventually selected Satheesan as chief minister. Reports suggested that a power-sharing formula between Satheesan and Venugopal was discussed but later rejected by the party high command.
The new 21-member cabinet includes ministers from the Congress, IUML and allied parties. After taking oath, Satheesan announced free bus travel for women on state-run buses as his government’s first major decision. Senior Congress leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi attended the swearing-in ceremony in Thiruvananthapuram.