Pinarayi Vijayan was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Kerala for the second time today. Governor Arif Mohammed Khan administered the oath of office and secrecy to members. The oath ceremony is currently taking place at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram with COVID-19 Protocol in place. The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the government to restrict the number of people attending the event in view of coronavirus epidemic.
The CPI-M led Left Democratic Front government had registered a major victory. The LDF won 99 seats in the 140-member assembly. Vijayan's cabinet, which forms the government for the second time in Kerala, will have 21 ministers. The Chief Minister will decide the portfolios of the ministers. The LDF's largest partner CPI-M will have 12 ministers, while the party will have four members of the CPI, one each from Kerala Congress (M), Janata Dal (S) and NCP.
Apart from Vijayan, 20 other ministers also took oath today. These include NCP's AK Saseendran, Indian National League's (INL) Ahammad Devarkovil, R Bindu and PA Mohammed Riyas. Meanwhile, the exclusion of former Kerala minister KK Shailaja from the new cabinet has set off a debate with many backing her and demanding her comeback in the ministry.
Let us tell you that Shailaja dropped as the state health minister in the second term of government in Kerala. She played a great role in the state's fight against Covid-19 and was especially praised for her handling of the pandemic in the first wave.
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