Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister V D Satheesan and 20 ministers of the new Kerala cabinet were sworn in on Sunday by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at a ceremony held at the Central Stadium here.
Among the cabinet members, two ministers chose to “solemnly affirm” instead of taking the oath in the name of God. Revolutionary Socialist Party leader Shibu Baby John was the first to take the solemn affirmation, followed by Communist Marxist Party leader C P John. Both leaders belong to left-socialist parties that are part of the United Democratic Front (UDF) alliance.
All other ministers took their oath in Malayalam, except senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan, who was the only minister to be sworn in in English. He took both the oath of office and the oath of secrecy in English.
The swearing-in ceremony began at 10 am and concluded around 11:30 am.
The newly formed UDF government came to power after winning 102 of the 140 seats in the Kerala Assembly.
With PTI inputs