Thiruvananthapuram, 21 May (H.S.):

The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled to commence at 9 a.m. at the Assembly complex in Thiruvananthapuram. Senior leader and Pro-tem Speaker G. Sudhakaran will administer the oath to all newly elected members. According to Assembly procedures, members will take the oath in alphabetical order.

The swearing-in ceremony is considered an important constitutional process that officially enables legislators to assume their roles and participate in Assembly proceedings. Following the completion of the oath-taking process, attention will shift to the election of the Speaker, which is scheduled to be held on Friday.

The Governor’s policy address, which traditionally outlines the government’s priorities and legislative agenda for the coming year, is scheduled to be delivered on May 29. The address is expected to provide the first comprehensive indication of the new government’s policy direction and development priorities.

The Assembly session comes just days after the V.D. Satheesan-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government assumed office. Satheesan and his Council of Ministers were sworn in on Monday following weeks of political discussions and intense consultations over leadership and Cabinet formation.

After extensive behind-the-scenes deliberations and coalition-level negotiations, the process of portfolio allocation within the new Cabinet was formally completed on Wednesday. The final distribution of departments among ministers marked the completion of the government formation process and paved the way for the administration to move fully into governance mode.

With the Cabinet structure now in place and legislators set to complete their constitutional formalities, the government is expected to shift its focus toward administration, policy implementation and fulfilling key commitments made during the Assembly election campaign.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman