India, May 19 -- Senior Congress leader VD Satheesan took oath as the 13th chief minister of Kerala at a packed Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, marking the return of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (LDF) rule in the southern state after a decade of Left Front regime.

Besides Satheesan, his 20-member Cabinet, including senior leaders and former ministers Ramesh Chennithata, who was also in the race for the CM post, K Muraleedharan, AP Anil Kumar and state party chief Sunny Joseph, was also sworn in by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.

Top Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Karnataka chief minist...