As per the understanding among the partners, Antony Raju and Ahamed Devarkovil were inducted into the Cabinet for the first 30 months.
Published Sep 20, 2023 | 1:18 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 20, 2023 | 1:18 PM
CM Vijayan ensures implementation of coalition commitment regarding Cabinet reshuffle. (Screengrab)
By ruling out a major reshuffle of the state Cabinet, as speculated by a section of the media, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on Tuesday, 19 September, said that this is not on the agenda of the LDF right now, but assurances given to some minor partners would be honoured at the right time.
The chief minister’s statement indicates that Ramachandran Kadannappalli of Congress (S) and KB Ganesh Kumar of Kerala Congress (B) will be brought in, while dropping Antony Raju of the Democratic Kerala Congress and Ahamed Devarkovil of the Indian National League from the Cabinet in November, when his ministry moves into the second half of the five-year term.
Replying to a volley of questions on the issue during a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram after a gap of over six months, Vijayan accused the media of creating an agenda for a Cabinet reshuffle and presenting it before “certain people and making news on the basis of that”.
“Revamp is not at all a matter of discussion in the LDF now. That subject was not discussed in the LDF. However, the LDF will implement any decision it took earlier on such matters,” he said, while ruling out a complete revamp of the state Cabinet.
Amidst intense speculation that a Cabinet reshuffle is likely in Kerala, the Convenor of the ruling LDF, EP Jayarajan had said last week that it will honour the commitment made to all coalition partners.
When the second LDF government came to power in the state in May 2021, partners in the CPI(M)-led alliance had reached an understanding to allocate Cabinet berths to four single-MLA parties on a “sharing the term” basis.
As per the understanding among the partners, Antony Raju and Ahamed Devarkovil were inducted into the Cabinet for the first 30 months, and Ramachandran Kadannappalli and Ganesh Kumar will replace them for the rest of the term.
The LDF then took the decision to share the term, citing the constitutional clauses that restrict the Cabinet to 21 members.
The 21-member Cabinet, under the leadership of Pinarayi Vijayan, was sworn in in May 2021 after the LDF retained power in the state for a second consecutive term, routing the Congress-led UDF.
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