Thiruvananthapuram: In the midst of heavy speculations that a Cabinet upheaval in Kerala is imminent, the convenor of the ruling LDF, E P Jayarajan, declared on Friday that the party would uphold its promise to all coalition members.
Partners in the CPI(M)-led alliance had agreed to distribute cabinet berths to four single-MLA parties on a "sharing the term" basis when the second LDF government took office in the state in May 2021.
Asked about reports regarding a possible Cabinet reshuffle, Jayarajan said the issue had not been discussed within the front so far and criticised the media for “manufacturing” such news.
“We have not thought of it,” he said about reports about the possible Cabinet reshuffle in November, when the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government completes two-and-a-half years.
He, however, indicated that it would happen as per the agreement reached among the parties in LDF.
“There is an understanding of two-and-a-half years for the four parties. There is still time to complete two-and-a-half years,” he told reporters.
He said that even if there is only one member, it is a foregone conclusion that he will be given a ministerial position.
As per the understanding among the partners, Antony Raju of the Democratic Kerala Congress and Ahammad Devarkovil of the Indian National League were inducted into the cabinet for the first 30 months, and Ramachandran Kadannappally of Congress (S) and K B Ganesh Kumar of Kerala Congress (B) will replace them for the rest of the term.
The LDF then decided to share the term, citing the constitutional clauses that restrict the cabinet to 21 members.
However, when asked about the possible cabinet reshuffle, ministers including Veena George, Antony Raju, and Speaker A N Shamseer said they do not have any information about it.
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.
With PTI inputs