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LDF Cabinet assumes office today

Special Correspondent

Swearing-in ceremony being held outside the Raj Bhavan for the first time

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 19-member Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government, headed by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member V. S. Achuthanandan, will take office at a swearing-in ceremony here on Thursday evening.

It is a `young' Cabinet, though not exactly by age, that the veteran leader takes into office, with 17 out of the 19 members of the Cabinet becoming Ministers for the first time. Apart from Mr. Achuthanandan, who is himself a first timer, the other members of the Cabinet are: Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Paloli Mohammed Kutty, M. A. Baby, T. M. Thomas Isaac, P. K. Gurudasan, P. K. Sreemathy, S. Sarma, M. Vijayakumar, G. Sudhakaran, Elamaram Kareem and A. K. Balan (CPI-M), K. P. Rajendran, C. Divakaran, Benoy Viswam and Mullakkara Rathnakaran (CPI), P. J. Joseph (KC-J) and N. K. Premachandran (RSP).

The Janata Dal (Secular) failed to pick its Minister nominee as four of its five MLAs staked claim to the sole Cabinet berth that has been offered to the party. A decision on the JD(S) Minister is expected before the swearing-in ceremony. Of the new Ministers, only Mr. Joseph and Mr. Sarma have previous experience in the Government. K. Radhakrishnan, who has been chosen to be the new Speaker, was a Minister in the 1996-2001 Nayanar Cabinet. The Deputy Speaker post has been allotted to the CPI.

The new Government would assume office at a swearing-in ceremony to be held at the Central Stadium, behind the State secretariat, at 4 p. m. on Thursday. It is for the first time that a Government is assuming office outside the Raj Bhavan.

Governor R. L. Bhatia invited Mr. Achuthanandan to form the new Government when the latter called on the Governor after being elected leader of the CPI(M) Legislature Party on Wednesday. He submitted to the Governor letters of support for him from leaders of various LDF constituents.

Emerging from his meeting with the Governor, Mr. Achuthanandan said the new MLAs would be sworn in May 24 and 25. The LDF Government formation efforts on Wednesday were not smooth. The Front State committee meeting saw the CPI striking a rebellious posture and threatening to stay away from the swearing-in ceremony if they were not given the Deputy Speaker post and not given Tourism and Law portfolios besides Revenue, Agriculture, Food and Civil Supplies and Forest initially offered to them.

The CPI State executive had gone ahead and picked its young leader Jose Baby for the post on Tuesday but, at the LDF panel meeting on Wednesday, the CPI(M) took the stand that there was no such promise and it was only one of the options placed before the CPI. The CPI leaders were offered Housing portfolio and the Deputy Speaker post. The JD(S) was also able to wrest Printing and Stationary, in addition to Transport, after negotiations.

But there was no such luck for RSP, which had to be satisfied with Water Resources.

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