V D Sathisan took oath as Kerala Chief Minister along with his cabinet on Monday, including senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala, Sunny Joseph, K.S. Muralidharan et al. Several Congress dignitaries attended the event, but one key leader, Shashi Tharoor, was absent.
Tharoor was unable to attend the event because he was in the United States over the weekend to deliver a speech at his alma mater, Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
The congressman was informed on Friday, May 15, that he would not be able to attend the ceremony due to a prior commitment.
“I’m sorry to miss the swearing-in ceremony for my colleague @incKerala and the new Kerala state director @vdsatheesan. I’m in Boston this weekend to deliver the commencement address at the commencement ceremony at my alma mater, the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at @TuftsUniversity – and also to participate in the 50th anniversary reunion of my graduating class!” he wrote in a post on X.
Tharoor described the 50th anniversary ceremony of his graduating class as “an occasion to celebrate the past in the United States even as I look to the future in Kerala…”
Also on Monday morning, while sharing a post about not being able to attend the swearing-in ceremony, Tharoor said he would be thinking of Sathisean on the occasion.
“Yes, I will be thinking of @vdsatheesan, my INCKerala colleagues and United Democratic Front allies on this happy occasion!” books.
Congress government takes oath in Kerala
For the Congress party, it was a big day in Kerala on Monday, as its government, led by Chief Minister V D Sathisan, was sworn in. The party returned to power through the United Democratic Front after defeating the Left Democratic Front led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which had been in power for ten years.
The United Democratic Front won 102 of the 140 seats in the Kerala Legislative Assembly.
After weeks of speculation, deliberations and an intense power tussle between Sathisan and another senior Congress leader, KC Venugopal, the party high command has selected the former to lead the state, citing his popularity among United Democratic Front partners, among other reasons.
The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
The event was attended by senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress general secretary KC Venugopal.
