Keralam’s UDF govt at three months: Hits, hurdles and high expectations for V.D. Satheesan

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Keralam Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Looking back at the first three months of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Keralam, what becomes evident is a mixed bag of results for Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan .

After the swearing-in ceremony on May 18, 2026, it has been an eventful three months for 62-year-old Mr. Satheesan and his 20 Ministers – there have been hits and misses with the big plans. Many have been the challenges – some of them startling, such as a pesky monsoon-season electricity crisis – and controversies that cropped up on the path of the new government that came to power in a landslide 102-seat victory in the Assembly elections.

From the word go, Mr. Satheesan has tried his best to convince the State that his government meant business in building a ‘Puthuyuga Keralam’ (new-age Keralam). He himself has taken care to keep up the persona of a firm but smiling and affable leader, briefly attracting the viral Gen-Z moniker of ‘Pookie CM’ in contrast with the stern, unsmiling taciturnity that his predecessor, the CPI(M) veteran Pinarayi Vijayan, has often been accused of.

With its election manifesto promises and a ‘Vision 2031’ strategic framework that featured 1,291 schemes across government departments, the UDF government had set itself ambitious yet tough goals. ‘Tough’ in the sense that Keralam is not sitting pretty on the fiscal front, although the 16th Union Finance Finance Commission awards increased its divisible tax pool share from 1.92% to 2.38%. The government has also set a 100-Day Action Plan starting July 1, spanning 602 projects across 50 departments .

In the very first weeks, the UDF government scored hits with sections of the people with the ‘Indira Guarantee’ announcement of making bus travel free for women in the ‘Ordinary’ services of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and scrapping the SilverLine semi high-speed rail project, a dream project of the previous CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. While the ‘Priyadarshini’ free travel scheme did not sit well with private bus operators, it did score brownie points for the government with the women, despite the ‘ordinary’ services not being uniform across districts. The semi-high-speed rail initiative, while ambitious in scale, had invited the wrath of large sections over the allegedly unilateral and unscientific manner in which the alignment was drawn up.

A dedicated Department for Elderly Welfare, which Mr. Satheesan described as the first of its kind in the country, also featured among the very first decisions of the UDF government. It was in line with the plans to develop a ‘Kerala silver economy’ for the ageing State. ‘Operation Toofan,’ helmed by Home Minister and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala for tackling a growing narcotics problem, also has drawn positive reviews for the government.

On the other hand, a major disappointment for Mr.