The first session of the 16th Kerala Assembly commenced on Thursday morning with Pro tem Speaker G. Sudhakaran administering the oath of office to newly elected MLAs at 9 am.
The Congress-led UDF had earlier nominated Sudhakaran, a former CPM leader who contested the Assembly elections as a Congress-backed independent candidate, for the post of Pro tem Speaker. He was officially sworn in during a brief ceremony held at Kerala Lok Bhavan on Wednesday.
The Assembly will reconvene on Friday for the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. The Congress has nominated senior leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan for the Speaker’s post and Shanimol Osman as Deputy Speaker. If elected, Shanimol Osman will become only the second Muslim woman in Kerala’s history to hold the position after Nabisath Beevi in 1960.
The Governor’s policy address is expected on May 29, while discussions on the motion of thanks to the address are scheduled to begin on June 3.
Gold 101.3FM UAE’s No.1 radio station continues to bring the latest political developments from Kerala to Malayali listeners across the UAE and Gulf region.
The newly constituted 16th Kerala Assembly consists of 102 UDF MLAs, 35 LDF MLAs and 3 NDA MLAs. This marks a major shift from the previous Assembly, where the UDF had only 41 seats while the LDF held 99.
The BJP, which failed to win any seat in the 2021 Assembly elections, has now secured three seats — the party’s best-ever performance in Kerala Assembly history.
Meanwhile, the representation of women in the Assembly has slightly declined. The 15th Assembly had 12 women MLAs, while the new House has 11 women members, accounting for less than 10 percent of the 140-member Assembly.
Earlier this week, Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan and his 20-member UDF Cabinet were sworn in by Governor Rajendra Arlekar. The allocation of ministerial portfolios was finalised and officially handed over on Wednesday following intense discussions within the ruling front over key departments and coalition representation.
