Kerala CM Satheesan Stands by 787 Personal Staff Appointments Under Previous LDF Government

Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Friday stood by his statement that the previous LDF government appointed 787 personal staff members during its five-year tenure from 2021 to 2026, rejecting former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan’s challenge to the figure and offering to release detailed records of the appointments.

The controversy followed Satheesan’s earlier statement that the present UDF government had appointed 476 personal staff members, compared with 787 under the previous LDF administration. He said ministers had been instructed to maintain a maximum of 25 personal staff members, while his own office has 31. Satheesan also claimed some ministers under the previous government had 27, 28 or 29 staff members. The previous Chief Whip had 28 staff, compared with 16 under the current incumbent.

Vijayan rejected the 787 figure, maintaining that the previous government had fewer than 500 personal staff members. He said the former Chief Minister had 32 staff members, while other ministers had 25 or fewer. He cited Cabinet changes involving M.V. Govindan, K. Radhakrishnan, Ahamed Devarkovil and Antony Raju, along with Saji Cherian’s resignation and return, but said these changes did not take the overall strength beyond 500. He challenged Satheesan to publish the supporting records.

Satheesan said the government was ready to provide the names, addresses and other details of staff appointed by the Chief Minister and ministers between 2021 and 2026.

An RTI-based report provides additional context, recording 524 personal staff members across the offices of the Chief Minister, Opposition Leader, ministers and Chief Whip, with a combined monthly salary bill of ₹4.62 crore. Salaries ranged from around ₹6,000 to ₹2.5 lakh, while 11 employees earned over ₹2 lakh. The expenditure included ₹27.24 lakh for the Chief Minister’s Office, ₹25.60 lakh for the Opposition Leader, ₹3.89 crore for ministers and ₹20.44 lakh for the Chief Whip.

The figures may differ because 787 could represent cumulative appointments over five years, whereas the below-500 figure could refer to staff strength at a particular time. Staff turnover during Cabinet changes can increase cumulative appointments without increasing simultaneous strength.

The controversy is further linked to Kerala’s personal-staff pension system, under which staff previously became eligible after two years and one day. The Supreme Court criticised the arrangement in 2022. An RTI later found 51 of 125 pension beneficiaries since 2023 had served less than three years. The UDF government has moved to raise eligibility to four years.

Satheesan also alleged that 12 people were separately appointed to manage Vijayan’s social media accounts, with salaries of ₹22,290–₹75,000. He claimed the exercise cost over ₹7 lakh monthly and ₹84 lakh annually.