Keralam Cabinet decides to dissolve Loka Kerala Sabha, replace it with new mechanism

The Keralam Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (September 23, 2026) formally decided to dissolve the Loka Kerala Sabha (LKS) and replace it with an alternative mechanism that “benefits expatriate Keralites”, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has said.

For establishing the alternative mechanism, a Cabinet sub-committee chaired by the Chief Minister with Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan and Water Resources Minister Mons Joseph has been constituted.

The LKS has failed in implementing the decisions taken by it, even as it resulted in “extravagance and expense,” Mr. Satheesan said.

LKS was mooted and introduced by the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in 2018 government as a “as a common platform for Keralites living across the globe.” The 5th session was held in Thiruvananthapuram in January 2026, while the LDF was still in power.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) had expressed reservations about LKS from the start, and stuck to its objections after coming to power in May this year. On September 21, Mr. Satheesan had stated that his government had no plans to continue LKS.  Discontinuing LKS was a ‘political decision’ of the UDF and that there had been no change in its position.

Furthermore, the government has not allocated funds for the sixth edition of the Loka Kerala Sabha, he said. “At the same time, non-resident Keralites will have a platform, an alternative mechanism for addressing their issues. There will also be a project, as announced in the Revised Budget, to transform their remittance economy into an investment economy,” Mr. Satheesan said.

ESA: Environment dept to publish map

Mr. Satheesan said one more discussion will be held with the Centre once Keralam files its recommendations. With respect to the ESA, the State Environment Department is preparing a map which can be accessed by all, he said.

The map will be published soon. The UDF government had adopted the same stance as the previous LDF government, arguing for restricting ESA in Keralam’s Western Ghats region to 98 villages spread over 8,590.69 sq km, he said.