Thiruvananthapuram: In the 21-member Cabinet led by Pinarayi Vijayan, the CPI(M) has 12 ministers, CPI four and one each from five other alliance partners in the Left Democratic Front.
Pinarayi Vijayan who sworn in as CM on Thursday will continue to hold Home, Vigilance, IT and environment portfolios like in the first term.
The five other alliance partners are Kerala Congress (M), Indian National League (INL), Democratic Kerala Congress (DKC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Janata Dal (S) (JDS).
The portfolios of the Ministers representing political parties are given below.
K Krishnankutty (Electricity), JD(S), AK Saseendran (Forest), NCP, K Radhakrishnan (SC&ST and Devaswom), CPM, J Chinchu Rani (Animal Husbandry) CPI, Roshy Augustine (Water Resources), KC(M), P Rajeev (Industry), CPM, K Rajan (Revenue), CPI, Veena George (Health), CPM, Prof R Bindu (Higher Education), CPM, MV Govindan Master (LSG and Excise), CPM, PA Mohamed Riyas (PWD and Tourism), CPM, Ahamed Devarkovil (Ports), INL, V Abdurahiman (Minority Affairs), National Secular Conference, V Sivankutty (Education), CPM, Antony Raju (Transport), Democratic Kerala Congress, GR Anil (Civil Supplies), CPI, KN Balagopal (Finance), CPM, Saji Cheriyan (Fisheries and Culture), CPM, P Prasad (Agriculture) CPI, VN Vasavan (Registration and Cooperation), CPM.
MB Rajesh of the CPM is the Speaker and Chittayam Gopakumar of the CPI the Deputy Speaker of the new Assembly.
N Jayaraj of KC(M) has been appointed as the chief whip with cabinet rank.
Except Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, A K Saseendran of NCP and K Krishnankutty of Janata Dal(S), all other 18 ministers are fresh faces.
The CPI(M) has also selected former health minister KK Shailaja as Party Whip and former excise minister TP Ramakrishnan as the Parliamentary Party Secretary.
Notably, Muhammed Riyas, who is the son-in-law of Pinarayi Vijayan and is the national president of DYFI, has also been made PWD and Tourism minister.
The CPI-M led Left Democratic Front won 99 seats in the 140-member assembly.
Meanwhile, J Chinchu Rani will be the first woman from CPI to become a minister after 1964. CPI has also elected former revenue minister E Chandrasekharan as legislature party leader and PS Supal as legislature party secretary.
