The newly-elected legislators were formally sworn in as Members of Legislative Assembly (MLA) at the first session of the 16th Kerala Assembly in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday (May 21, 2026). Pro Tem Speaker G. Sudhakaran administered the oath to the MLAs-designate over a three-and-a-half-hour-long ceremony.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar had sworn in Mr. Sudhakaran on Wednesday. The remaining 139 members took the oath on Thursday.

Former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan greets Pro Tem Speaker G. Sudhakaran at the Kerala Assembly after his swearing-in on Thursday.
| Photo Credit:
Nirmal Harindran

Fisheries Minister V.E. Abdul Gafoor, representing the Kalamassery constituency, was the first to take the oath as the names were called in alphabetical order. Xavier Chittilapilly (Wadakkancherry) was the last. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan was 105th to take the oath. He took the oath in the name of god. Former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who was 133rd, solemnly affirmed his commitment.

Most of the members took the oath in Malayalam. Faisal Babu (Kozhikode South), Mani C. Kappan (Pala), Mathew Kuzhalnadan (Muvattupuzha), Ramesh Chennithala (Haripad), Sandeep Varier (Thrikkaripur), Shibu Baby John (Chavara) and Sunny Joseph (Peravoor) took the oath in English. A.K.M. Ashraf (Manjeshwar) took the oath in Kannada and F. Raja (Devikulam), in Tamil.

Former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan greets BJP MLA and party’s State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar in the Assembly
| Photo Credit:
Nirmal Harindran

T.K. Govindan, who had quit the CPI(M) and won as a UDF-supported Independent, took everyone by surprise when he moved towards Mr. Vijayan to shake hands with him before taking the oath.

The ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has a massive majority in the House with 102 out of the 140 seats. The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) has 35 seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), three.

The House convened for the ceremony at 9 a.m. with the rendition of the national anthem.

Speaker election

The Speaker will be elected on Friday (May 22, 2026). The Congress has picked leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan for the Speaker’s post and Shanimol Usman for the Deputy Speaker’s post.

The BJP, which won three seats in Kerala Assembly, will field its candidate, B.B. Gopakumar, in the election for the Speaker’s post, said State party president Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

Five years ago in 2021, the oath-taking ceremony of the 15th Kerala Assembly was held amidst strict COVID-19 protocols. Back then, seats were rearranged in the House to ensure that physical distance was maintained.

In a supplementary memorandum submitted to the 16th Finance Commission last week, Kerala has sought supplementary grants and eligibility for a “temporary extra borrowing limit” of 0.5% of the Gross State Domestic product (GSDP) to help it absorb the losses arising from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) slab rejig and the US reciprocal tariffs.

Seeking supplementary grants under Article 275 of the Constitution, Kerala has asked the commission to “reassess” State finances and resource needs for the next five years when finalising its recommendations on vertical devolution and revenue deficit grants.

The GST rate revision will further widen the gap between own and devolved revenues and the expenditure obligations of States, including Kerala. This needs to be compensated through a provision of grants, according to the memorandum.

Earlier, Finance Minister Balagopal had put the estimated annual revenue loss to Kerala due to the GST rate rationalisation between ₹8,000 crore and ₹10,000 crore.

“The present rate reduction will worsen the vertical fiscal imbalance (VFI) in the next quinquennial period starting from 2026-27. Since the compensation from cess levied on items falling under the 28% rate has stopped, an appropriate Constitutional way to prevent worsening of VFI in the next quinquennium is to recommend further grants under Article 275, taking into consideration the immediate revenue loss to the State,” according to the memorandum which Mr. Balagopal handed over to the commission last week.

The Kerala Legislative Assembly was provided with a copy of the memorandum on Wednesday along with replies to questions on the impact of the GST slab restructuring.

Kerala has sought the extra borrowing limit of 0.5% of the GSDP in the medium term to help it absorb the consequences of the US tariffs. This, according to the State, will be used for developing export-related infrastructure such ports and cold chains and exploring new markets for exports from the State.

The memorandum notes that the revenue loss on account of the US reciprocal tariff alone is estimated to be ₹2,400 crore during 2025-26.

Kerala had submitted its initial memorandum when the commission headed by Arvind Panagariya visited the State in December 2024. However, the implications of the “Trump tariffs” and the GST revamp that followed on the State economy had prompted it to submit an additional memorandum conveying its concerns.

Given the 50% tariffs on imports from India, exports from Kerala to the US are expected to fall “significantly,” affecting production and employment in the State, it said. The marine sector is likely to be among the worst-affected. Other industries that would be hit include spices, cashew, textiles, coir, plantation and rubber.

In its initial memorandum, the State government had asked the Finance Commission to raise the share of States in the divisible tax pool from the present 41% to 50% and overhaul the formula used for resource sharing among States.