Kerala CM Satheesan Stands by Claim on LDF-Era Personal Staff Numbers
Kerala CM V.D. Satheesan has reiterated his claim that the previous LDF government appointed 787 personal staff, offering to publish the full list.
The dispute between Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan over the appointment of personal staff intensified on Friday, with Mr. Satheesan stating on Facebook that he stood by his figure of 787 appointments made to the personal staff of the Chief Minister and Ministers during the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.
The Chief Minister had first made the claim at a press conference following the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. He said the present United Democratic Front (UDF) government had restricted appointments, engaging only 476 personal staff members. He also said his Ministers had been limited to a maximum of 25 staff members each, while some Ministers in the previous LDF Cabinet had retained between 27 and 29 members.
Mr. Vijayan rejected the figure, saying the personal staff strength during the last government was below 500, and challenged Mr. Satheesan to publish the list.
In his Facebook post, Mr. Satheesan said he was prepared to make public the entire list of personal staff of the Chief Minister and Ministers for the 2021-2026 period, including their addresses and other details.
He also flagged the creation of a separate 12-member team during the previous government to manage Mr. Vijayan's website and social media platforms. The team was appointed on a pay structure ranging from ₹75,000 to ₹22,290, and in 2025 the government issued an order enhancing their salary.
Mr. Satheesan said the previous government spent more than ₹7 lakh a month and over ₹84 lakh annually on social media management alone, and questioned the Opposition's criticism of the UDF government over personal staff numbers. He reiterated that his government had not appointed personal staff beyond the permitted limit.