Two new Ministers inducted in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Friday swore in two new Ministers in the Pinarayi Vijayan cabinet.

The new ministers are actor-turned-politician K.B. Ganesh Kumar and veteran Kadanapally Ramachandran.

Present at the ceremony were Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his ministers, legislators, top officials and other guests, while the Congress-led Opposition boycotted it to protest the inclusion of Ganesh Kumar, whom, they alleged, was instrumental in trapping late Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the solar scam case.

This new induction is in line with the 2021 agreement, after the completion of 30 months in office, the two ministers Antony Raju and Ahamed Devarkovil will make way for Kumar and Ramachandran.

In May 2021, when the second Pinarayi Vijayan government took office, there was an in-principle decision to share cabinet posts among the parties having single MLAs.

This is third time both Kumar and Ramachandran have become ministers in the state.

Ganesh Kumar, 57, has been a legislator since 2001. He was a minister in the cabinet of the Congress leader A.K. Antony in 2001, but made way for his father after a few years. He was again in the Chandy cabinet in 2016 but following a domestic issue with his then wife, quit and since had been upset with the Congress-led UDF.

Finally, he, along with his father, moved their party Kerala Congress into the Left Democratic Front.

Ramachandran belongs to the Congress-S and was a Minister in the first Vijayan government (2016-21).