'As A Dedicated Soldier...': Congress MP KC Venugopal Reacts After VD Sathesan Takes Oath As Kerala CM 

Thiruvananthapuram: Congress MP KC Venugopal, who was reportedly one of the contenders for the Chief Minister’s post in Kerala, reacted after party colleague VD Satheesan took oath as CM on Monday.

Reacting to MP Rahul Gandhi’s post on X thanking and lauding him for leading the campaign from the frontlines, he said, "As a dedicated soldier of the Congress, bringing a UDF government in my home state Keralam has always been my mission! I am grateful to INC President Mallikarjun @kharge ji, Rahul ji, and the entire Congress party for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this historic campaign." His post dismisses all speculation about him being upset.

"As always, my best wishes to CM @vdsatheesan for a successful tenure ahead," he added.

Besides, Ramesh Chennithala, another contender for the CM post, also posted a picture with Rahul Gandhi with the caption, "I am a true Congressman."

Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader V. D. Satheesan took oath as the new Chief Minister of Kerala on Monday.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Along with him, his full Council of Ministers also took oath as ministers.

The 20-member Cabinet includes Ramesh Chennithala, K. Muraleedharan and KPCC chief Sunny Joseph, along with Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders P. K. Kunhalikutty, P. K. Basheer, N. Samsudheen, K. M. Shaji and V. E. Abdul Gafoor. Other ministers in the Cabinet are Mons Joseph, Shibu Baby John, Anoop Jacob, C. P. John, A. P. Anil Kumar, T. Siddique, P. C. Vishnunath, Roji M. John, Bindu Krishna, M. Liju, K. A. Thulasi and O. J. Janeesh.