Kerala: LDF ministry to be sworn in today

A 19-member CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front ministry, headed by party veteran V S Achuthanandan, will assume office in Kerala tomorrow.

A 19-member CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front ministry, headed by party veteran V S Achuthanandan, will assume office in Kerala tomorrow.

The CPI(M) will have 12 ministers while CPI has four and RSP, Kerala Congress and Janata Dal (S) have one each in the ministry to be sworn in by Governor R L Bhatia at a ceremony to be held at the Central Stadium at 4 pm tomorrow. The list of ministers, except that of the JD(S), was announced by the LDF convener and CPI(M) central committee member Paloli Muhammadkutty, who is also joining the Cabinet.

Other CPI(M) nominees in the Cabinet are M A Baby, P K Gurudasam, P K Sreemathi, A K Balan, Kodiyari Balakrishnan, T M Thomas Issac (all state secretariat members) and state committee members S Sarma, G Sudhakaran, Elamaram Kareem and M Vijakumar.

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The Speaker’s post would go to former state minister K Radhakrishnan of the CPI(M). Single-legislature partners NCP, Congress (S) and Kerala Congress (S) will have no berth in the Cabinet.

The CPI MLAs who will be sworn in as ministers are K P Rajendran, Binoy Viswam, C Divakaran and Mullkara Rathanakaran. The list of ministers include N K Premachandran (RSP), and P J Joseph (Kerala Congress). The JD(S) has not yet decided its ministerial nominee, Muhammedkutty said.

On portfolio allocation, he said talks were on and it would be finalised by tomorrow.