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Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Saturday met top Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge during his first visit to Delhi after assuming office. Satheesan also called on AICC general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during the visit. The chief minister, who arrived in the national capital late on Friday night, thanked the Congress high command for its support during the Assembly election campaign, party sources said. According to sources, organisational matters and things related to the functioning of the newly formed UDF government in Kerala figured prominently in the discussions with senior leaders. The visit also comes amid discussions within the Congress over the appointment of a new Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president. There were indications that the CM may also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an available day next week, though there was no immediate officia
Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday said that his government has decided to scrap the Silverline high-speed rail project, an ambitious initiative of the previous LDF administration. Satheesan said at a press conference here that the notifications with regard to acquiring land for the project will be revoked. Besides that, the government will also recommend withdrawal of the criminal cases lodged against those who opposed the Silverline project, and it will be subject to the court's decision, the CM said after a Cabinet meeting chaired by him. The cabinet also decided to extend the validity of the public service commission's rank lists till November 30, as hardly any appointments were made during the election period, Satheesan said.
The UDF government on Tuesday announced the formation of a special committee to prepare a white paper on Kerala's financial position, following the first UDF Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister V D Satheesan. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of senior Finance Department officials chaired by the chief minister. According to a CMO statement, the committee will be headed by former Cabinet Secretary Dr K M Chandrasekhar. Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) K R Jyothilal has been appointed as the Convener. The panel will also include economist Dr Narayana and Centre for Development Studies (CDS) Director Dr Veeramani as members, the statement said. The white paper is expected to provide a clearer picture of the state's financial health and help guide future policy decisions, the statement added. The UDF has been alleging that the state's finances were in trouble due to mismanagement under the Left rule, an allegation that was strongly rejected by then Finance Minis
V D Satheesan on Monday took oath as Kerala's Chief Minister, and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to the Congress Legislature Party leader here. Satheesan took oath in the name of God. Besides Satheesan, his 20-member Cabinet will also be sworn in by the Governor. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among others, attended the swearing-in ceremony. Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states, former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Left leaders, and BJP representatives also attended the ceremony. Thousands of Congress workers arrived in the state capital from across Kerala for the event. The Assembly elections to the 140-member House were held on April 9, with the results declared on May 4. The Congress-led UDF won 102 seats, while the LDF secured 35 and the BJP won three.
Vadasseri Damodara Menon Satheesan, who was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Kerala on Monday, is a lawyer-turned-politician from Kochi who rose through the ranks of the Congress party with a reputation for sharp speeches and organisational discipline. Known for his calm public style and aggressive attacks on the Left government inside the Assembly, V D Satheesan--called VD or VDS by his supporters--became the face of the Congress revival in Kerala after he was made Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly five years ago. As Leader of the Opposition, Satheesan put the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government on defensive mode on various issues, including alleged nepotism and financial irregularities, pushed the Congress towards younger leadership and a more energetic campaign. He led the Congress-led UDF to power in the April 9 polls, marking the alliance's return to power in Kerala after a decade. Supporters see him as practical and accessible, while critics say his biggest
After a decade-long Left rule, Kerala is all set for a regime change on Monday, with a 21-member UDF cabinet led by Congress leader V D Satheesan set to be sworn in at the state capital at 10 am. Preparations have been completed at Central Stadium, where a massive stage has been set up for the oath-taking ceremony. Workers have put up temporary rain shelters and arranged seating for thousands of party workers, national political figures, and local dignitaries. Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge and top party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra among others are scheduled to attend the swearing-in. Kerala joins Karnataka and Telangana to become the third Congress ruled state in south in the recent times. Tight security arrangements have been put in place across the state capital ahead of the high-profile event. Special traffic arrangements have also been made in view of the large number of VIPs and UDF supporters arriving in the city. Traffic and parking regulations
The NIA has taken over the probe into the seizure of a large quantity of gelatin sticks and detonators from Tirurangadi in Kerala's Malappuram district in February this year, officials said on Thursday. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the case last month and recently approached the Judicial First Class Magistrate-I court in Parappanangadi seeking transfer of case records to its special court in Kochi, sources said. The case relates to the seizure of 89,600 gelatin sticks concealed in 448 boxes, along with 10,500 non-electric shock tube detonators, from an onion-laden lorry at Chemmad near Tirurangadi on February 7, 2026. Acting on a tip-off, police raided a brick manufacturing unit where a lorry carrying onions was parked and found people unloading the explosives from it. Officials at the Tirurangadi police station said the case has been handed over to the central agency. "We had arrested six persons in connection with the case. Though our probe indicated that th
Kerala is likely to know the name of its next Chief Minister later on Wednesday, with indications that the Congress high command could make an announcement before noon. The delay in the decision has kept the camps of three top contenders--AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala on edge. As the Congress leadership continued discussions over the selection of Kerala's next Chief Minister, party leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday met former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) presidents in Delhi to gather their views and help end the prolonged uncertainty. Sources said the Kerala leaders called to Delhi by the party leadership during crucial discussions on Tuesday expressed their views on the Chief Ministerial choice, with the names of Venugopal, Satheesan and Chennithala figuring prominently in the consultations as the high command continued its deliberations. Former KPCC chief K Muraleedharan, after meeting Gandhi
The origins of a guess paper containing questions similar to those asked in NEET-UG 2026 medical exam were traced to a student from Rajasthan's Sikar pursuing MBBS in Kerala who went on to share it with his friends and a hostel owner, a senior official of the state's Special Operation's Group said. IG, Special Operations Group (SOG), Ajay Pal Lamba said the student first received the material from a friend and shared it with others in Sikar. The document subsequently reached several coaching students and later reached candidates in Jaipur and nearby areas before the exam that was held on May 3. Another official said the student from Kerala forwarded the guess paper with a hostel owner in Sikar and some of his friends. The hostel owner shared the guess papers to students living in the hostel, saying it could be helpful. However, the hostel owner himself later tipped off the local police about the guess paper. He had informed that a question bank had been distributed among a large ..
As lobbying intensifies among the three top contenders for the chief minister's post, senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan on Saturday said the party high command was likely to take a final decision on Kerala's next CM within 24 hours. The UDF's sweeping Assembly poll victory in Kerala has triggered a wave of lobbying and demonstrations by the supporters of senior leaders V D Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala and K C Venugopal, urging the Congress leadership to select the respective leaders as the new CM. "The information from Delhi is that discussions on the chief ministerial candidate will be completed within 24 hours," Muraleedharan told reporters. Acknowledging public fervour, he emphasised that flex boards and marches alone would not determine the leadership. He added that the views of MLAs and coalition partners would also be considered by the Congress leadership. "I will not publicly reveal what I told the high command representatives. I have conveyed the sentiments of the pe