The Kerala CPI on Monday finalised its list of four MlAs, who would be part of the new lDF Cabinet to be sworn in on Wednesday even as Politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister-designate, was elected as the CPI(M)’s Parliamentary Party leader in the 14th State Assembly.
At the same time, the CPI(M)’s State committee approved the list of 11 Ministers proposed the other day by the State Secretariat and a preliminary understanding has been reached over their portfolios. According to sources, Pinarayi will handle Home and Vigilance portfolios while economist Thomas Isaac will be the Finance Minister.
The 63 newly-elected CPI(M) MlAs elected Pinarayi as the party’s leader in the Assembly at a meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. Pinarayi will meet Governor P Sathasivam on Wednesday morning. A 19-member lDF Cabinet will assume charge on Wednesday evening with a simple swearing-in ceremony at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
At the end of heated disputes over the leadership’s refusal to include two senior members who were Ministers in the 2006-11 lDF Government in the new Cabinet, the CPI finalised its list of four Ministers: VS Sunilkumar (Thrissur MlA), E Chandrasekharan (Kanhangad), P Thilothaman (Cherthala) and K Raju (Punalur). All are new faces.
With a strong section led by State CPI secretary Kanam Rajendran taking a firm stand at the party’s State executive that senior members C Divakaran and Mullakkara Ratnakaran, who were Ministers in the previous lDF Cabinet, could not be made Ministers this time, the issue had to be left for the State council to decide.
The dispute was so intense that Ratnakaran boycotted the council meeting and Divakaran responded to the leadership’s move emotionally. However, the council finally decided to endorse the proposal of the executive. The CPI(M) will have 12 members including the CM in the 19-member lDF Cabinet while the CPI will have four.
“What is so strange about thisIJ All the CPI Ministers in the 2006-11 Cabinet were new faces,” Kanam told newsmen later. The CPI leadership denied Divakaran even the position of the Parliamentary Party leader despite being the party’s senior-most member in the new Assembly. Instead, E Chandrasekharan himself will be the Parliamentary Party leader.
Kanam told newsmen that the name of V Sasi, CPI member from Chairayankeezhu, had been proposed for the post of Deputy Speaker. However, Ratnakaran contradicted the CPI secretary’s claim saying that there were no former Ministers among the CPI’s MlAs in the 12th Assembly. He also did not deny the reports that he would be giving up all party positions in protest.
Kanam said a final decision on portfolio allocation would be over only on Wednesday. Apart from the CPI(M) and CPI which have won 63 and 19 seats respectively in the just-concluded election, minor lDF partners JD(S), NCP and Congress (S) will have one representative each in the Cabinet.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) central committee (CC) member EP Jayarajan, a staunch Pinarayi-loyalist, is likely to become the Industries and IT Minister in the new Cabinet to be formed while another CC member AK Balan, former Power minister, may act as the Minister for Tribal Welfare and local Administration.
CC member KK Shailaja may get the Health portfolio while Kadakampally Surendran, a State committee member of the party, is likely to be the Power Minister. Former Cooperation Minister G Sudhakaran is expected to become the Public Work Minister while the Cooperation portfolio may go to new face AC Moideen.
C Raveendranath, TP Ramakrishnan, J Mercykutty Amma and left Independent KT Jaleel are expected to become Ministers for Education, Excise and labour, Fisheries-Ports and Tourism. The party’s State committee also endorsed the State secretariat’s decision to make P Sreeramakrishnan, young MlA from Ponnani, the Speaker of the House.