The first session of the 16th Kerala Assembly is set to take off on Thursday with the swearing-in of its MLAs. The oath of members, which would be administered by Pro tem Speaker G Sudhakaran, will begin at 9.00 am on Thursday.

Congress had earlier announced Sudhakaran, a former CPM leader who contested as a Congress-backed independent for the Kerala Assembly Elections, as its choice for the role. He was sworn in as the Pro tem Speaker of the Kerala Assembly during a brief ceremony held at Kerala Lok Bhavan on Wednesday. 

The house will reconvene on Friday to elect the speaker and deputy speaker at 9.00 am. The Congress has selected senior leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan as the speaker and Shanimol Osman as the deputy speaker. This would make her the second Muslim woman to hold the post, after Nabisath Beevi in 1960.

The Governor's policy address is expected to follow on May 29, with the discussion on the motion of thanks to the Governor's address scheduled for June 3.

The 16th Kerala Assembly comprise 102 UDF MLAs, 35 LDF MLAs, and 3 NDA MLAs, in contrast to the 41 UDF MLAs and 99 LDF MLAs in the previous assembly. The BJP, which drew a blank in the 2021 assembly elections, has made a comeback, winning three seats, a historic high for the party in the state. 

The representation of women in the assembly, however, has declined from 12 women MLAs in the 15th assembly to 11. This marks a representation of less than 10 per cent in the 140-member assembly.

On Monday, the Chief Minister and the 20 ministers in the UDF cabinet were sworn in by the Governor, and the ministerial portfolios were handed over on Wednesday morning, after a tight round of discussions within the front.