Published May 17, 2026 | 10:36 AM ⚊ Updated May 17, 2026 | 10:36 AM
CM-designate VD Satheesan holding talks with Ramesh Chennithala on Friday
Synopsis: Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala is expected to meet the Kerala Director General of Police after the party high command reportedly accepted his demand for the Home Affairs portfolio. According to the current understanding, the KC Venugopal faction is likely to secure the upper hand in the Congress Cabinet with seven ministers, while the Chennithala faction may get three.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala is expected to meet the Kerala Director General of Police (DGP) on Sunday, 17 May, after the party high command reportedly accepted his demand for the Home Affairs portfolio in the new UDF government.
Chennithala had allegedly made it clear that he would stay out of the Cabinet if he was not made the home minister. He had earlier handled the Home department in the Oommen Chandy government.
Meanwhile, chief minister designate VD Satheesan visited Ramesh Chennithala at his residence in Thiruvananthapuram and offered key portfolios, including Home and Vigilance, while Satheesan himself is likely to retain the Finance portfolio.
His demand to include Anwar Sadat and IC Balakrishnan in the ministry is also under consideration.
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According to the current understanding, the KC Venugopal faction is likely to secure the upper hand in the Congress Cabinet with seven ministers, while the Chennithala faction may get three.
Although the swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for Monday at 10 am, the complete ministerial list is expected to be finalised by Sunday evening after approval from the All India Congress Committee (AICC) leadership and submission to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.
Intense discussions led by Satheesan and Sunny Joseph were held yesterday, with Venugopal and Deepa Dasmunsi also participating.
The IUML is expected to get five ministerial berths, while Kerala Congress (Joseph) may receive one minister and the Chief Whip post.
RSP, Kerala Congress (Jacob) and CMP are likely to get one minister each.
Also Read: VD Satheesan scrambles to seal Cabinet consensus before swearing-in
However, PJ Joseph is reportedly insisting on two ministries, citing the compromise his party made during seat-sharing by surrendering two strong seats to Congress.
Congress is expected to have 12 members in the ministry, including the chief minister, while constituent parties may get nine ministers. The Speaker and Deputy Speaker posts are likely to go to Congress, with N. Shaktan emerging as the frontrunner for Speaker. The Deputy Speaker post and final portfolio distribution are yet to be decided.
RMP, Mani C. Kappan, and the three-member independent bloc that left the CPI(M) are unlikely to get ministerial representation. Congress had reportedly proposed a rotational arrangement for Anoop Jacob and Mani C Kappan, but Anoop Jacob is understood to have rejected the formula.
Meanwhile, discussions around caste and community representation have also intensified, with criticism emerging over the limited representation for the Ezhava community, which is expected to get only two ministers.
Muslims and Christians are likely to have six ministers each, while the Nair community may get five. SC/ST are expected to receive one representation each.
(With inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman.)
