Ramesh Chennithala takes oath as Kerala minister

Chennithala,who got elected to the Lok Sabha four times,has been the party state chief since 2005.

Congress state president Ramesh Chennithala was on Wednesday sworn in as a minister in the UDF government led by Oommen Chandy. Governor Nikhil Kumar administered oath of office in a function held at the Raj Bhavan.

Although an official announcement on his portfolio is yet to come,Chennithala is set to get home,currently held by senior leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan,who has already made it public that he was stepping down.

For 57-year-old Chennithala,this is the second innings as a minister. In 1986,he had become a minister in the government headed by K Karunakaran.

Story continues below this ad

Chennithala,who got elected to the Lok Sabha four times,has been the party state chief since 2005.

Chennithala said the party high command would find a successor for the post of president. Speaker G Karthikeyan and senior leader V M Sudheeran have emerged as frontrunners,while Union minister of state for home Mullappally Ramachandran has also jumped into the fray. Ramachandran has said the party needed a president from his region,North Kerala. LS member from Kannur K Sudhakaran,known as Congress muscleman,is also eyeing the post.

Donald Trump may replace H-1B lottery with wage-based selection process

World8 hr ago

Days after hiking the fees for new H-1B applications to $100,000, the Donald Trump administration has proposed to overhaul the visa process for high-skilled non-immigrant workers. The Trump administration has suggested a wage-based selection process for the H-1B programme, instead of the current lottery system.

View all shorts

Live Blog