Keralam Cabinet decides to dissolve Loka Kerala Sabha, replace it with a new mechanism

Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan Photo Credit: RK Nithin

The Kerala Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (September 23, 2026) formally decided to dissolve the Loka Kerala Sabha (LKS) and replace it with an alternative mechanism that “benefits expatriate Keralites”, Chief Minister VD Satheesan said.

A Cabinet sub-committee chaired by the Chief Minister with Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, Industries Minister PK Kunhalikutty, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan and Water Resources Minister Mons Joseph was constituted to create an alternative mechanism.

The LKS has failed to implement the decisions it has taken even though it has led to “extravagance and expenditure”, Mr Satheesan said.

The LKS was proposed and introduced by the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in 2018 as “as a common platform for Keralites living all over the world”. The 5th session was held in Thiruvananthapuram in January 2026 when the LDF was still in power.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) had expressed reservations about the LKS from the beginning and maintained its objections after coming to power in May this year. On 21 September, Mr Satheesan stated that his government had no plans to continue with the LKS. The termination of the LKS was a “political decision” by the UDF and that there was no change in its position.

Besides, the government has not allocated funds for the sixth year of Loka Kerala Sabha, he said. “At the same time, non-resident Keralites will have a platform, an alternative mechanism to solve their problems. There will also be a project, as announced in the revised budget, to transform their remittance economy into an investment economy,” Mr. Satheesan said.

ESA: Environment Department to publish map

Mr. Satheesan said that one more discussion would be held with the Center once Keralam submitted its recommendations. As for the ESA, the Ministry of the Environment is preparing a map that is accessible to all, he said.

The map will be published soon. The UDF government has taken the same stand as the previous LDF government and argued that it has limited the ESA in the Western Ghats region of Kerala to 98 villages spread over 8,590.69 km2, he said.

Published – 23 Sep 2026 13:24 IST