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The reshuffling of the cabinet in Kerala, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, is now scheduled to occur by the end of December, as confirmed by Left Democratic Front (LDF) convenor EP Jayarajan. Initially planned for November 20, the reshuffle was deferred due to the chief minister and the cabinet’s ongoing statewide tour.
This decision was reached during a meeting of LDF partners in Thiruvananthapuram. “Towards the end of December, the reshuffle in the cabinet, as decided earlier, will take place,” Jayarajan announced.
The reshuffle, initially set for November 20 to coincide with the government reaching half of its tenure, was postponed due to the ongoing statewide outreach program by the chief minister and the cabinet, covering all 140 assembly constituencies until December 24. The tour aims to showcase the government’s accomplishments and address public grievances.
According to the LDF agreement, each of the four parties in the coalition government is entitled to two-and-a-half years of cabinet tenure. As part of this arrangement, Antony Raju and Ahammed Devarkovil will be replaced by KB Ganesh Kumar and Kadannappalli Ramachandran, representing the Kerala Congress (B) and Congress (S) respectively.
Ganesh Kumar is expected to assume the transport portfolio from Raju, while Ramachandran will take over as the Ports and Museums minister from Devarkovil. Ganesh Kumar, who had reminded the LDF of the agreed-upon formula, expressed satisfaction upon the confirmation from the LDF convenor.
Opposition parties, especially the Congress, had raised concerns about Ganesh Kumar’s inclusion due to charges he faces in a local court in Kottarakkara related to a conspiracy against late former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the solar sexual assault case. Despite these concerns, the LDF leadership has not accepted the request of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for a cabinet position, as the party has only one MLA in the assembly .
