CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan sworn-in as Kerala CM for consecutive term

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday took his oath of office for a second consecutive term after the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) won the recently concluded assembly elections in the state. The CPI(M) leader was sworn-in by Governor Arif Mohammad Khan.

“Took the oaths of office and secrecy, as the Chief Minister of Kerala. Together, let us realise a people’s alternative, and build a Nava Keralam!” Vijayan said in a tweet shortly after the ceremony. 

The CPI(M)-led LDF beat the trend, which has seen the state switch between a Left and a Congress government for four decades, to register an emphatic victory in the recent elections, winning 99 of the 140 seats. 

The ruling coalition on Tuesday confirmed its list of 20 cabinet ministers, including 12 members from the CPI(M) and four from the CPI, with no minister continuing their portfolios from the previous governmment, PTI reported.

However, the standout decision from which was the omission of former Health Minister KK Shailaja. The decision led to debates as many called for Shailaja’s inclusion in the cabinet. The 64-year-old leader, fondly called ‘teacher‘, is credited with leading the state’s much-acclaimed fight against the coronavirus pandemic. 

Justifying the omission, CPI(M) general secretary Sitharam Yechury said that the decision was taken in the long-term interest of the party and the state. Vijayan said the decision was in line with the party’s position on giving new faces a chance. 

The Cabinet included a handful of first-time members, along with the highest women representation in recent times – three.

All state cabinet ministers also took oath along with Vijayan at the ceremony, which itself was only allowed to be held after the Kerala High Court’s approval on Wednesday, citing similar events in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.