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Kerala cabinet reshuffle to be done by end of December, says minister
The reshuffle in Kerala's cabinet, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, will take place by the end of December, according to Left Democratic Front (LDF) convenor EP Jayarajan. The reshuffle was initially scheduled for November 20 but was postponed due to the chief minister and cabinet's statewide tour. As part of the reshuffle, two ministers will be replaced to fulfill the agreed tenure formula among LDF members. The opposition has raised objections to one of the new appointees, KB Ganesh Kumar, due to pending charges against him. The request by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for a cabinet position was reportedly denied.
The reshuffle in the cabinet led by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan will take place by the end of December, Left Democratic Front (LDF) convenor EP Jayarajan confirmed on Friday.
The decision was taken at a meeting of LDF partners in Thiruvananthapuram.
“Towards the end of December, the reshuffle in the cabinet, as decided earlier, will take place,” Jayarajan told reporters.
The reshuffle, earlier slated to take place on November 20, when the government completes half of its tenure, has been deferred due to the chief minister and the cabinet going on a statewide tour as part of an outreach programme from November 18 till December 24. The tour, which will cover all 140 assembly constituencies and is scheduled to begin from Manjeshwar in Kasaragod district, has been planned to spread the government’s achievements as well as address public grievances.
As per the formula agreed to by the members of the LDF, when the coalition government returned to power in May 2021, four parties will get two-and-a-half years of tenure each in the cabinet for their members.
So as part of the deal, Antony Raju of the Janadhipathya Kerala Congress and Ahammed Devarkovil of the Indian National League (INL) will make way for KB Ganesh Kumar of Kerala Congress (B) and Kadannappalli Ramachandran of Congress (S), respectively.
While Ganesh Kumar is expected to take over the transport portfolio from Raju, Ramachandran will replace Devarkovil as the Ports and Museums minister.
Ganesh Kumar had last month submitted a letter to the LDF and chief minister Vijayan reminding the front about the earlier-agreed formula of the cabinet reshuffle. On Friday, when the confirmation came from the LDF convenor, he told reporters, “I am satisfied.”
The Opposition parties especially the Congress had asked the LDF not to make Ganesh Kumar a minister as he faces charges in a local court in Kottarakkara with respect to conspiracy against late former chief minister Oommen Chandy in the solar sexual assault case.
“KB Ganesh Kumar, who tried to trap former chief minister Oommen Chandy in a false case, should not be included in the cabinet at any cost. I appeal to CM Pinarayi Vijayan not to take him in,” leader of opposition VD Satheesan had said on October 27.
Meanwhile, the LDF leadership is learnt not to have accepted the request of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for a place in the cabinet. The RJD has 1 MLA in the assembly.
