<p>A 21-member Cabinet of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) — headed by Chief Minister V D Satheesan — will be sworn in in Kerala on Monday.</p>.<p>Loyalists of AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, who was one of the contenders for the CM's post, seem to have got an upper hand in the selection of Cabinet members.</p>.<p>Senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, who was another contender for the top post, is also a member of the Cabinet. He may also get the key portfolio of Home.</p>.<p>The majority of the Cabinet, including the CM, are first-time Cabinet members. They include two women — Bindu Krishna and K A Thulasi of the Congress. Thulasi is the wife of Congress MP V K Sreekandan.</p>.<p>Among the five seats given to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), one will be shared by two MLAs on a two-and-a-half-year basis. There could also be a seat-sharing arrangement among parties that have one MLA each.</p>.<p>Satheesan said that there was no pressure from any leaders in Cabinet formation, and that there was no groupwise seat-sharing.</p>.<p>He also said that many eligible candidates could not be included in the Cabinet as social and regional balances had to be maintained.</p>.<p>Discussions on sharing portfolios were in the final stages, he said. It is learnt that the CM will hold the Finance portfolio.</p>.<p>Resentments over a lack of regional and community-based representations in the Cabinet are coming up. The Latin Catholic church already came out against the lack of representation in the Cabinet.</p>.Satheesan announces Kerala Cabinet ahead of swearing-in ceremony.<p><strong>Top leaders to attend</strong></p>.<p>Satheesan said that it was after six decades that the entire Cabinet of a Congress-led government was being sworn in together.</p>.<p>AICC top leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM D K Sivakumar, Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy, and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu are expected to attend the ceremony.</p>.<p>Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay and many other prominent leaders would also come down to Kerala in the coming days, he said.</p>.<p>Popular decisions likely</p>.<p>All eyes are on the first Cabinet meeting, to be held on Wednesday. A host of popular measures — like free rides for women in state transport corporation buses and increasing the honorarium of ASHA workers — are expected from it.</p>.<p>As part of the austerity measures, it was already decided not to unnecessarily buy new vehicles and to do only a minimum maintenance work of official residences of the CM and ministers.</p>.<p>The acute financial crunch is a key challenge for the new government. Several government employees are retiring from service this month. This will cause a huge fiscal burden to the government. </p>
<p>A 21-member Cabinet of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) — headed by Chief Minister V D Satheesan — will be sworn in in Kerala on Monday.</p>.<p>Loyalists of AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, who was one of the contenders for the CM's post, seem to have got an upper hand in the selection of Cabinet members.</p>.<p>Senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, who was another contender for the top post, is also a member of the Cabinet. He may also get the key portfolio of Home.</p>.<p>The majority of the Cabinet, including the CM, are first-time Cabinet members. They include two women — Bindu Krishna and K A Thulasi of the Congress. Thulasi is the wife of Congress MP V K Sreekandan.</p>.<p>Among the five seats given to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), one will be shared by two MLAs on a two-and-a-half-year basis. There could also be a seat-sharing arrangement among parties that have one MLA each.</p>.<p>Satheesan said that there was no pressure from any leaders in Cabinet formation, and that there was no groupwise seat-sharing.</p>.<p>He also said that many eligible candidates could not be included in the Cabinet as social and regional balances had to be maintained.</p>.<p>Discussions on sharing portfolios were in the final stages, he said. It is learnt that the CM will hold the Finance portfolio.</p>.<p>Resentments over a lack of regional and community-based representations in the Cabinet are coming up. The Latin Catholic church already came out against the lack of representation in the Cabinet.</p>.Satheesan announces Kerala Cabinet ahead of swearing-in ceremony.<p><strong>Top leaders to attend</strong></p>.<p>Satheesan said that it was after six decades that the entire Cabinet of a Congress-led government was being sworn in together.</p>.<p>AICC top leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM D K Sivakumar, Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy, and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu are expected to attend the ceremony.</p>.<p>Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay and many other prominent leaders would also come down to Kerala in the coming days, he said.</p>.<p>Popular decisions likely</p>.<p>All eyes are on the first Cabinet meeting, to be held on Wednesday. A host of popular measures — like free rides for women in state transport corporation buses and increasing the honorarium of ASHA workers — are expected from it.</p>.<p>As part of the austerity measures, it was already decided not to unnecessarily buy new vehicles and to do only a minimum maintenance work of official residences of the CM and ministers.</p>.<p>The acute financial crunch is a key challenge for the new government. Several government employees are retiring from service this month. This will cause a huge fiscal burden to the government. </p>