Vijayan takes oath as CM, 20 ministers inducted in cabinet
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Thursday administered oath of office and secrecy to Pinarayi Vijayan and 20 of his cabinet members at a function at central stadium in the state capital.
In the recently-concluded assembly elections, the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) had stormed back to power after winning a brute majority of 99 seats in the 140-member house. The lead Communist Party of India (Marxist), however, decided to drop all members of the outgoing ministry other than the chief minister to induct fresh faces. Junior partner Communist Party of India (CPI) followed suit by inducting four new faces. Among new ministers inducted into the cabinet was journalist-turned- politician Veena George (44) who was given the health portfolio. Widespread protests had erupted after K K Shailaja, the face of the fight against the Covid-19 panas demic in the state, was denied a second term for the role. Elected from Aranmula (Pathanamthitta) constituency for the second time, George will be under tremendous pressure to contain the pandemic.
P A Mohammad Riyas, the chief minister’s son-in-law, was given two key portfolios, tourism and public works department. The national president of the
Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), party youth wing, was elected to the assembly from Beypore constituency in Kozhikode.
Former member of Rajya Sabha K N Balagopal was announced as the new finance minister, succeeding Dr Thomas Isaac, an economist.
Another former Rajya Sabha member P Rajeev was declared the industry minister. Prof R Bindhu, wife of acting secretary A Vijayaraghavan, will be the higher education minister.
Amid a triple lockdown in Thiruvananthapuram, invitees were limited to less than 400 after several leaders and organisations pleaded the government to hold the swearing-in ceremony online in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The government, however, went ahead with the programme amid strict restrictions in place. CPI)M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury was among those who attended the function.
Through his party’s victory, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan changed the state’s political script of alternating power between two coalitions for more than four decades. After the second successive win, he has turned into an unquestionable leader within the party and Left movement in the country.
Vijayan also managed to hold the party and LDF together while the Left forces surrendered meekly in erstwhile forts, West Bengal and Tripura.