VD Satheesan took oath as the new Chief Minister of Kerala as the Congress-led UDF returned to power after a decade, ending the CPI(M)-led Left government in the state. The grand swearing-in ceremony in Thiruvananthapuram witnessed the presence of top Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Mallikarjun Kharge. Thousands of UDF workers gathered to celebrate the alliance’s massive comeback.

Fuel prices are back in the political spotlight as the Congress party launches a sharp attack on the Modi government over the latest petrol and diesel price hike. Calling PM Narendra Modi “Mehngai Man”, Congress leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and K C Venugopal accused the Centre of pushing the burden of economic pressure onto ordinary citizens right after elections. The opposition has alleged that while global crude oil prices saw periods of decline, the government failed to provide relief to the public and instead increased fuel costs once polling concluded. Kharge described the situation as a “Modi-made crisis”, linking rising inflation, expensive fuel and growing pressure on middle-class and poor families to the Centre’s economic policies.