Kerala cabinet reshuffle: two new ministers sworn

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, along with his cabinet colleagues and Left legislators, witnessed the oath-taking ceremony of Ramachandran Kadannappally and K B Ganesh Kumar, marking a significant reshuffle in the Kerala cabinet.

Ramachandran Kadannappally of Congress (S) and K B Ganesh Kumar of Kerala Congress (B) officially assumed their roles as ministers in the CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala. The oath was administered by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan at Raj Bhavan's lawns at 4 pm.

The presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other leaders from the Left alliance added weight to the ceremony, signifying its importance.

During the swearing-in, Ramachandran pledged in the name of the Constitution, while Kumar took his oath in the name of God.

However, the Congress-led UDF boycotted the event, protesting the inclusion of Ganesh Kumar, whom they accused of conspiring against their late leader and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the solar panel case.

The induction of both Kumar and Ramachandran into the ministry followed an agreement reached among the partners in the LDF.

While Kumar represents the Pathanapuram constituency, Ramachandran serves as a representative of Kannur in the legislative assembly.

In accordance with the arrangement, Antony Raju of the Democratic Kerala Congress and Ahammad Devarkovil of the Indian National League resigned from their positions as transport minister and ports minister, respectively.

After the oath-taking, the Governor approved the proposed portfolios with minor modifications. Ganesh Kumar took over the Transport portfolio, while Ramachandran, instead of the expected Ports portfolio, was assigned the Registration department, previously under V N Vasavan.

Additionally, Ramachandran will oversee the Archaeology and Museum Departments, while Vasavan, the Cooperation Minister, will handle the Ports ministry.

Both Kumar and Ramachandran bring prior ministerial experience to their new roles, having served in previous governments.

The decision to induct the new ministers was part of a cabinet reshuffle announced by the LDF earlier. This move aimed to honor a prior agreement among single MLA parties within the CPI(M)-led alliance, ensuring a fair sharing of cabinet berths based on constitutional limitations restricting the cabinet size to 21 members.