Thiruvananthapuram: In the next reshuffle of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government, Kerala Congress (B) leader K B Ganesh Kumar and Congress (S) state president Kadannappalli Ramachandran will be appointed as ministers.
Following the "Nava Kerala Sadas," a state government programme that runs from November 18 to December 24, the cabinet reshuffle is anticipated to occur in the final week of December. The induction of the two new ministers was approved by the LDF state committee during its meeting on Friday.
After the new ministers are sworn in, Transport Minister Antony Raju and Ports Minister Ahmed Devarkovil will submit their resignations. At the LDF gathering at the AKG Centre, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made the announcement on the cabinet reshuffle, the New Indian Express reported.
He informed the gathering that following the "Nava Kerala Sadas" programme, Ganesh Kumar of the KCB and Kadannappally Ramachandran of the Congress (S) would take the oath of office as ministers. “The day after the end of the Nava Kerala Sadas is Christmas. So, we will consider a suitable date after the holiday,” CM reportedly said.
Leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (formerly the LJD), Varghese George, made a claim for his party's MLA's position as a minister during the meeting. The CM replied that the KCB had previously submitted a representation to take into account its entry to the cabinet.
Discussions with the RJD will be held later. During the 2021 cabinet formation in the LDF, a decision was made to allocate the duration of ministership equally among four small parties: Kerala Congress (democratic), Indian National League, Kerala Congress (B), and Congress (S). The plan was for two parties to secure a cabinet berth in the first 2.5 years of the arrangement. It was agreed that in the first half, cabinet positions would be awarded to Ahammed Devarkovil (INL) and Antony Raju (Kerala Congress - democratic). On November 20, they will complete their term.