Family Affairs Policy in Kerala Cabinet

K. Muraleedharan. | Photo credit: ANI

Politics as a family affair has become so commonplace in India that it rarely raises an eyebrow these days. Several members of VD Satheesan’s cabinet, which took charge on Monday, also come with strong family legacies in Kerala politics.

Congress Minister K. Muraleedharan is the son of the late K. Karunakaran, a Congress veteran who was Chief Minister of Kerala on four occasions. Mr. Muraleedharan is a former president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). Although he was appointed as power minister in the AK Antony ministry in 2004, despite not being an MLA, he had to resign when he lost the by-election from Wadakancherry. His sister Padmaja Venugopal made news when she left the Congress and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Shibu Baby John.

Shibu Baby John is the son of late Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) supremo Baby John, who was once known as the ‘Kinginger of Kerala’. Mr. Shibu Baby John, who represents the RSP in Mr. Satheesan’s ministry, served as Labor Minister in the UDF ministry under Oommen Chandy from 2011-2016.

PK Basheer, one of the five Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) ministers in the cabinet, is the son of noted IUML leader and former chief whip P. Seethi Haji. Mr. Haji represented Kondotty Assembly constituency for four terms and Tanur for one.

Anoop Jacob.

Anoop Jacob is the son of former minister TM Jacob, who led the ‘Jacob’ faction in the Kerala Congress and was a highly regarded legislator during his lifetime. Mr. Anoop Jacob, who was the Minister of Food and Civil Supplies in the Oommen Chandy Ministry, is again representing the Kerala Congress (Jacob) in the UDF Cabinet.

VE Abdul Ghafoor.

VE Abdul Gafoor, the new face in the UDF cabinet, is the son of former minister and IUML leader VK Ibrahim Kunja. Mr. Ibrahim Kunju was the Minister of Industries in the Oommen Chandy Ministry in 2005-2006 and the Minister of Public Works in the 2011-2016 Ministry under Mr. Chandy.

FROM Tulasi

KA Thulasi, another First Minister, is the wife of VK Sreekandan, a Congress MP in the Lok Sabha. As the first MLA, Ms. Thulasi wrested the Kongad constituency from the CPI(M) in the 2026 assembly elections.

Apu John Joseph.

Apu John Joseph, who is slated to be the new Chief Whip, is the son of Kerala Congress veteran PJ Joseph. The former now represents Thodupuzha, the constituency his father represented in the Kerala Assembly for a long time.

Published – 18 May 2026 21:08 IST