Thiruvananthapuram, 18 May (H.S.):The newly formed V D Satheesan-led government on Monday moved swiftly to begin the legislative and administrative process, with the first Cabinet meeting deciding to appoint former CPM leader and ex-minister G Sudhakaran as the Pro Tem Speaker of the Kerala Assembly until a permanent Speaker is elected.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan announced the decision during his first press conference after taking oath, stating that the newly elected Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) would take oath on May 21 under the supervision of Sudhakaran, who represents Ambalappuzha constituency in Alappuzha district.
Sudhakaran, a veteran politician and former Public Works Department Minister in the first Pinarayi Vijayan government, had severed ties with the CPM ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections following differences with the party leadership. He later entered the electoral fray with the support of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and emerged victorious.
The Cabinet's decision signals an important first step in constituting the new Assembly following the UDF's decisive victory in the recently concluded Assembly polls.
The election for the post of Speaker is scheduled for May 22. The UDF has nominated senior Congress leader and Kottayam MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan as its candidate for Speaker, while Shanimol Usman has been fielded for the Deputy Speaker's post. Given the UDF's commanding strength of 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly, the front is expected to comfortably secure both positions.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF), which suffered a major setback in the election, is yet to indicate whether it will field candidates for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker elections.
The Cabinet also recommended to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar that the new Assembly session be convened. Satheesan said all policy decisions and government initiatives announced so far would move ahead after receiving the required gubernatorial approvals.
The Chief Minister also confirmed that the Governor's policy address would be delivered on May 29.
In key administrative appointments, the government named senior Kerala High Court advocate Jaju Babu as the new Advocate General following the resignation of K Gopalakrishnakurup. The Cabinet also appointed T Asaf Ali as Director General of Prosecution after the resignation of T A Shaji. Satheesan noted that Asaf Ali had previously held the same post during the Oommen Chandy government.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
