New Delhi, May 19 -- Congress leader VD Satheesan took oath as the new Chief Minister of Kerala on Monday, with many describing the moment as the start of a new era in the state. That is because the Congress is returning to power in Kerala after a ten-year gap, and there is considerable optimism among the rank-and-file party workers about fulfilling the promises made in the election manifesto. As Satheesan takes charge as the Chief Minister of Kerala, a post held in the past by Congress stalwarts like K Karunakaran, AK Antony and Oommen Chandy, he also faces several challenges that he has to address. Here are some of them.

Despite a clear mandate, with the UDF winning 102 out of the 140 seats in the assembly elections, the Congress had a...