Last Updated on June 22, 2026 by Gaurav
Key Takeaways
- Kerala became a state on 1 November 1956.
- The 2026 Assembly Elections showed a major shift in the political landscape of the state.
- The longest serving CM of the state served for over 10 years.
- The youngest Chief Minister of Kerala took the charge at just 36 years old.
Kerala is one of the most literate states in India and it has quite a strong social development. It became a state on 1 November 1956 when the States Reorganisation Act merged Malabar as well as Kasaragod with Travancore-Cochin.
The Niyamsabha Organisation mentions: “On 1st July 1949, Travancore and Cochin were integrated into a new State of Travancore-Cochin. When the states of the Indian Union were reorganised on linguistic basis on 1st November 1956, the Malabar district was added to Travancore-Cochin to form the new state of Kerala. The Tamil speaking southern region of Old Travancore including Kanyakumari became part of Tamilnadu.”
Since the formation of the state, it has witnessed many Chief Ministers from different political parties who have shaped the state with their contributions in different sectors. In this article you will find the complete list of Chief Ministers of Kerala from 1957 to 2026.
| Did You Know? There were 127 members in Kerala’s first Legislative Assembly. The first Assembly election in Kerala was held in February and March 1957 and it was just months after the formation of the state. |
READ| List of Chief Ministers of All States in India
Complete List of Chief Ministers of Kerala (1957 – 2026)
Here is the complete list of Chief Ministers of Kerala along with their tenure as per Niyam Sabha NIC:
| Name Of The Chief Minister | Tenure |
| Shri. E.M.S. Namboodiripad | April 5, 1957 – July 31, 1959 |
| Shri. Pattom A. Thanu Pillai | February 22, 1960 – September 26, 1962 |
| Shri. R. Sankar | September 26, 1962 – September 10, 1964 |
| Shri. E.M.S. Namboodiripad | March 6, 1967 – November 1, 1969 |
| Shri. C. Achutha Menon | November 1, 1969 – August 1, 1970 |
| Shri. C. Achutha Menon | October 4, 1970 – March 25, 1977 |
| Shri. K. Karunakaran | March 25, 1977 – April 25, 1977 |
| Shri. A.K. Antony | April 27, 1977 – October 27, 1978 |
| Shri. P.K. Vasudevan Nair | October 29, 1978 – October 7, 1979 |
| Shri. C.H. Mohammed Koya | October 12, 1979 – December 1, 1979 |
| Shri. E.K. Nayanar | January 25, 1980 – October 20, 1981 |
| Shri. K. Karunakaran | December 28, 1981 – March 17, 1982 |
| Shri.K. Karunakaran | May 24, 1982 – March 25, 1987 |
| Shri. E.K. Nayanar | March 26, 1987 – June 17, 1991 |
| Shri. K. Karunakaran | June 24, 1991 – March 16, 1995 |
| Shri. A.K. Antony | March 22, 1995 – May 9, 1996 |
| Shri. E.K. Nayanar | May 20, 1996 – May 13, 2001 |
| Shri. A.K. Antony | May 17, 2001 – August 29, 2004 |
| Shri. Oommen Chandy | August 31, 2004 – May 12, 2006 |
| Shri. V.S. Achuthanandan | May 18, 2006 – May 14, 2011 |
| Shri. Oommen Chandy | May 18, 2011 – May 20, 2016 |
| Shri. Pinarayi Vijayan | May 25, 2016 – May 03, 2021 |
| Shri. Pinarayi Vijayan | May 20, 2021 – May 18, 2026 |
| Shri. V.D. Satheesan | May 18, 2026 – Incumbent |
Who is the Current Chief Minister of Kerala?
Source: Indian Currents
V.D. Satheesan is the current Chief Minister of Kerala. He belongs to the Congress party and took oath on 18 May 2026 after the UDF won a big majority in the 2026 Assembly elections. He is the 13th person to hold this post in Kerala’s history.
Who is the Youngest Chief Minister of Kerala?
A.K. Antony was the youngest Chief Minister of Kerala. He took charge of the state in the year 1977 when he was just 36 years old. He has served three terms as Chief Minister of Kerala which were:
- 1st Term – April 27, 1977 – October 27, 1978
- 2nd Term – March 22, 1995 – May 9, 1996
- 3rd Term – May 17, 2001 – August 29, 2004
He is known for his clean image and for bringing more transparency into how the government worked.
| Quick MCQ Which Chief Minister of Kerala was the oldest person to ever take oath for the post? A) Oommen Chandy B) V.S. Achuthanandan C) Pinarayi Vijayan D) C. Achutha Menon Answer: B) V.S. Achuthanandan. He took oath at the age of 82 in 2006. |
Why Was the Kerala 2026 Election Historic?
The 2026 Kerala Assembly Elections were conducted on 9 April 2026 and the results for the same were declared on 4 May 2026. This election is etched in history for many reasons.
First and the most important reason is that it ended ten years of LDF rule in the state. The Congress-led United Democratic Front won a big victory when they secured 102 out of 140 seats.
To put it in perspective, the former CM of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan also saw a much smaller winning margin than before and this showed how the voter dynamics have changed.
Moreover, this was also the first Kerala election that was held after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll. This simply means the voter data was thoroughly checked and updated before the polls. As per PIB, Kerala saw the second highest voter turnout with a total of 78.03%
As the results came up, V.D. Satheesan became the new Chief Minister of Kerala. He took the oath on 18 May 2026 and became the 24th Chief Minister of Kerala.
Who Are the 21 Ministers of Kerala?
V.D. Satheesan formed his government in May 2026 and his full Council of Ministers had 21 members in total. This list includes the Chief Minister along with his 20 other ministers. Here is the complete list:
| Minister | Portfolio(s) |
| V. D. Satheesan (Chief Minister) | Finance, National Savings, Stores Purchase, Commercial Taxes, Agricultural Income Tax, Treasuries,Lotteries, State Audit, Kerala State Financial Enterprises, State Insurance, Kerala Financial Corporation,Stamps & Stamp Duties, Ports, Law, Planning & Economic Affairs, General Administration,All India Services, Science & Technology, Disaster Management, Non-Resident Keralites Affairs,Pollution Control, Personnel & Administrative Reforms, Election, Sainik Welfare,Distress Relief, State Hospitality, Civil & Criminal Justice, Airports, Metro Rail, Inter-State River Waters,Coastal Shipping & Inland Navigation, Information & Public Relations |
| Ramesh Chennithala | Home, Vigilance, Fire & Rescue Services, Prisons, Coir |
| Sunny Joseph | Electricity, Environment, Parliamentary Affairs, ANERT |
| K. Muraleedharan | Health, Medical Education, Medical University, Indigenous Medicine, AYUSH, Drugs Control,Food Safety, Devaswoms |
| A.P. Anilkumar | Land Revenue, Survey & Land Records, Land Reforms |
| P.C. Vishnunath | Tourism, Culture, KSFDC, Kerala Chalachithra Academy, Kerala Cultural Activist Welfare Fund Board |
| M. Liju | Co-operation, Excise |
| Roji M. John | Collegiate Education, Technical Education,Universities (except Agricultural, Veterinary, Fisheries, Medical & Digital Universities),Entrance Examination, NCC, ASAP Kerala |
| T. Siddique | Agriculture, Soil Survey & Soil Conservation, Kerala Agricultural University, Warehousing Corporation |
| K.A. Thulasi | Development of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes & Backward Classes |
| Bindhu Krishna | Labour, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, Milk Co-operatives,Women & Child Development, Kerala Veterinary & Animal Sciences University |
| O.J. Janeesh | Sports, Youth Affairs, Zoos, Museums, Registration, Archaeology, Archives |
| P.K. Kunhalikutty | Industries & Commerce, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence,Startups, Mining & Geology, Handlooms & Textiles |
| N. Samsudheen | General Education, Literacy Movement, Wakf & Haj, Pilgrimage, Minority Welfare |
| K.M. Shaji | Panchayat, Municipality, Corporation, Town Planning, Rural Development, Regional Development Authorities, KILA |
| P.K. Basheer | Public Works Department (PWD) |
| V.E. Abdul Gafoor | Fisheries, Harbour Engineering, Social Justice |
| Mons Joseph | Irrigation, CADA, Ground Water Department, Water Supply & Sanitation, Housing |
| Anoop Jacob | Food & Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs, Legal Metrology |
| Shibu Baby John | Forests & Wildlife Protection, Skill Development, KASE |
| C.P. John | Road Transport, Motor Vehicles, Water Transport |
Which CM Served the Longest in Kerala?
E.K. Nayanar is known as the longest serving Chief Minister of Kerala. He was in office for a total of 10 years and 353 days and that is why he holds this impressive feat. During his time, he expanded social welfare schemes and worked to strengthen public health services and workers’ rights.
| Quick MCQ Who became the Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly after the 2026 election? A) Shanimol Usman B) Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan C) K.C. Venugopal D) Ramesh Chennithala Answer: B) Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan. He became the speaker after gaining 101 votes. |
Who Was the Former Chief Minister of Kerala?
Pinarayi Vijayan is the current Kerala Chief Minister, and he has emerged as a prominent leader of 21st century Kerala. He has been the Chief Minister of Kerala since 25 May 2016, and is the first Kerala Chief Minister to be re-elected after serving the full five-year term.
He served his second term till 18 May 2026 and is known for his effective handling of the 2018 Kerala floods and the COVID-19 pandemic.
How Many Times Did Pinarayi Vijayan Become CM?
Pinarayi Vijayan became the Chief Minister of Kerala two times. His first term started on 25 May 2016 and ended on 3 May 2021. His second term began on 20 May 2021 and lasted until 18 May 2026. It was then V.D. Satheesan who took over as the Chief Minister of Kerala after the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections. In 2022, Pinarayi Vijayan became the longest continuously serving Chief Minister of Kerala at that time, even though E.K. Nayanar’s total time in office across all terms remains higher.
| Did You Know? The official residence of the Kerala Chief Minister is called Cliff House, located in Thiruvananthapuram. It is a government bungalow that comes with round the clock security. |
Notable Chief Ministers of Kerala and Their Contributions
E. M. S. Namboodiripad
Source: Observer Voice
He was the first Chief Minister of Kerala. He was a Communist Party of India (CPI) member and became the Chief Minister in 1957. He brought in progressive land reforms and education reforms. He was dismissed from office in 1959 but was elected again and had a profound impact.
K. Karunakaran
Source: Wikipedia
He has been the CM of the state for a total of four-times. K Karunakaran hailed from the Congress and he was the most experienced political veteran in Kerala.
A. K. Antony
Source: Kerala Legislature
He is the youngest person to have been in office, when he became the Chief Minister of the state at the age of 36. He was known for his transparent governance, and initiated a number of reforms to ensure transparency and ethics in administration.
E. K. Nayanar
Source: Wikipedia
He was one of the state’s most enduring leaders. He held the office for 10 years and 353 days across different terms which made him one of the longest-serving Chief Ministers of Kerala. He expanded social welfare schemes, strengthened public health, and promoted workers’ rights across three terms.
V. S. Achuthanandan
Source: DD
He was a veteran communist leader known for his anti-corruption initiatives and advocacy for the underclasses. He was the oldest Chief Minister to take oath, at the age of 82.
Kerala’s list of Chief Ministers shows how the state has grown over the years under leaders from different parties and backgrounds. From E.M.S. Namboodiripad in 1957 to V.D. Satheesan in 2026, each Chief Minister has added something to Kerala’s growth. The 2026 election marked a big turning point, ending a decade of LDF rule and bringing the UDF to power under V.D. Satheesan.
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