Thiruvananthapuram: A Vijayaraghavan, Communist Party of India – Marxist’s acting state secretary and Left Democratic Front (LDF) convener, on Monday proclaimed that the Kerala government will have a 21-member Cabinet.
The oath-taking ceremony will take place on May 20 and only a confined number of guests will attend in view of the COVID-19 situation in the state, he added.
Talking to reporters after the LDF meet to take a decision on cabinet berths, Vijayaraghavan unveiled that the CPI(M) will have 12 ministerial berths while four have been allotted to the CPI and one each for Kerala Congress (M), Janata Dal (S) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The Chief Whip post will go to a Kerala Congress (M) candidate.
Antony Raju, Nationalist Kerala Congress, will get a term of 2.5 years and after that, it will be handed over to Kadanapally Ramachandran of the Congress (S). Ahamed Devarcoil will take the charge first and then will leave the post for KB Ganesh Kumar.
“The remaining two ministerial posts will be shared between other allies on an alternate basis, the first two and half years with Janadhipatya Kerala Congress and Indian National League after which Kerala Congress (B) and Congress (S) takes possession of the chair respectively. The CPM will hold speaker post, CPI will be given deputy speaker post and chief whip post to Kerala Congress (M),” added Vijayaraghavan.
Though it has just one representative, yet the Loktantrik Janata Dal (S) is the only association that failed to get a cabinet post.
The LDF has consigned Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to choose the portfolios of the ministers, he further said.
“The Left Democratic Front will meet and decide the Parliamentary committee head tomorrow and after that, it will meet the Governor,” he added.
In the 2021 Assembly Elections, the LDF had managed to retain power in Kerala by winning 99 seats against 41 seats of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
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