A CPI(M)-led lDF Government will take charge in Kerala on Wednesday with 72-year-old Pinarayi Vijayan, a Politburo member, as Chief Minister. The swearing-in ceremony would be held at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday evening, the Chief Minister-designate said on Saturday.
A meeting of the lDF leadership is being held on Sunday in Thiruvananthapuram to discuss the size of the Cabinet, whether single-MlA constituent parties of the front should be accommodated in it and other related matters. “It is too early to say anything on such things. A clear picture will emerge after tomorrow’s lDF meeting,” Pinarayi said.
However, sources in the lDF said that a rough idea about the constitution of the Cabinet had been formed at a discussion among the Chief Minister-designate, State CPI(M) secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and his CPI counterpart Kanam Rajendran on Friday evening. The preliminary decision was to have a 19-member Cabinet, sources said.
If the final decision emerging from the lDF meeting is to have a 19-man Cabinet, the CPI(M) and CPI will have 12 and 4 Ministers respectively as it was the case with the 2006-2011 lDF Government headed by veteran leader VS Achuthanandan. In such a situation, it would be difficult to give representation to the single-MlA allies.
In the Assembly election held on May 16, the lDF had won a stunning victory by bagging 91 of the total 140 seats in the Assembly confining the Congress-led ruling UDF’s tally to just 47. Front leader CPI(M) increased its tally to 63 from 47 in the previous Assembly and the CPI to 19 from 13. The Congress could win only 22 seats.
lDF allies Janata Dal (S) and NCP have won three and two seats respectively and they will have to be accommodated in the Cabinet. Minor allies Congress (S), RSP (leninist), CMP(A) and Kerala Congress (B) have got one MlA each. “It is going to be a bit difficult but a final decision will be taken, most probably, tomorrow itself,” said an lDF leader.
The CPI has already put forward the demand that it should be given five berths if the size of the Cabinet is being expanded to 21. As per reports, the CPI has already staked claim for the position of Deputy Speaker in the Assembly. It has also put forward a demand for more portfolios than it had been allocated in the 2006-11 Cabinet.
It is almost certain that leaders like TM Thomas Isaac, AK Balan, both CPI(M) central committee (CC) members, S Sarma and G Sudhakaran who were members of the 2006-11 lDF Cabinet, will be inducted into the Pinarayi-headed Government. Isaac was Finance minister and Balan had handled Power portfolio in the Achuthanandan Government.
The names of two other CC members, EP Jayarajan and KK Shailaja, both hailing from Pinarayi’s native district Kannur, are reportedly being considered for ministerships. AC Moideen, former Thrissur district secretary, Aisha Potty, MlA from Kottarakkara, and KT Jaleel, left Independent MlA, also are being considered for Cabinet posts.
The other names being considered by the CPI(M) leadership include Kadakampally Surendran (Kazhakkoottam), CK Raveendranath, Puthukkad MlA known for his parliamentary track-record, young MlAs M Swaraj and P Sreeramakrishnan, J Mercikkutty Amma (Kundara) and Suresh Kurup, MlA from Ettumanoor.
The CPI probables for Cabinet positions are former ministers Mullakkara Ratnakaran, C Divakaran, VS Sunilkumar, known as a ferocious fighter in the Assembly, ES Bijimol, member from Peerumedu and Muhammad Muhsin, young MlA from Pattambi. According to Kanam Rajendran, a decision on the CPI representatives in the Cabinet will be taken on Monday.