Senior legislator G. Sudhakaran was officially sworn in as the Pro Tem Speaker of the 16th Kerala Legislative Assembly on Wednesday (May 20, 2026).

The oath of office was administered by Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar during a solemn ceremony held at the Kerala Lok Bhavan. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, members of the newly formed United Democratic Front (UDF) Cabinet and several high-ranking government officials attended the event.

Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administers the oath of office to G. Sudhakaran | Video Credit: special arrangement

The appointment of Mr. Sudhakaran, who successfully contested and won from the Ambalappuzha constituency with UDF backing after a high-profile rebellion against his former party, CPI(M), adheres to the established parliamentary convention of designating the senior-most member of the House to the temporary post.

As the Pro Tem Speaker, his primary constitutional responsibility will be to oversee the transition of the House into its formal legislative cycle after the Assembly polls.

First session on Thursday

With his swearing-in, the focus shifts to the Legislative floor where a busy schedule has been laid out. The Pro-term Speaker will preside over the Assembly’s first official session on Thursday to administer the oath of office to all the MLA-designates.

Following the swearing-in of the legislators, the House will convene again on Friday (May 22) to conduct the formal election for the permanent Speaker. Senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan has already been designated as the UDF’s nominee for the Speaker’s chair. He will succeed outgoing speaker A.N. Shamseer. Shanimol Usman, who was elected from Aroor constituency, is slated to take over as the Deputy Speaker.

Governor’s policy address

The Governor will deliver his customary policy address at the Assembly on May 29 to mark the official commencement of the new legislative session under the V.D. Satheesan-led government.

Mr. Sudhakaran’s assignment to the prestigious role adds a symbolic layer to the opening of the 16th Assembly, considering the dramatic political backdrop of his election. A lifelong communist who had been associated with the CPI(M) since his youth, the five-time MLA severed ties with the party a few months ago after intense friction with its State and Alappuzha district leadership. He subsequently launched an independent campaign in his home turf of Ambalappuzha, where he accused the CPI(M) of “ideological drift” and the rise of “political criminalisation.”

In a major tactical move that altered the electoral dynamics, the UDF chose not to field a candidate of its own and instead threw its machinery behind Mr. Sudhakaran. The strategy yielded a historic mandate, with the veteran leader delivering a crushing blow to the Left Democratic Front (LDF) by defeating the sitting CPI(M) MLA, H. Salam, by a staggering margin of 27,935 votes.