19-member LDF Ministry assumes office in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, May 18 (UNI) A 19-member Left Democratic Front (LDF) ministry headed by CPI(M) Politbureau member V S Achuthanandan assumed office in Kerala today.

Governor R L Bhatia administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Achuthanandan and the new ministers at a function held at the central stadium adjacent to the State Secretariat.

Besides Mr Achuthanandan, eleven ministers from the CPI(M), four from the CPI and one each from the Kerala Congress(J), RSP and Janata Dal(S) were also sworn in.

Mr Paloli Mohammed Kutty, Mr Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Mr M A Baby, Dr T M Thomas Isaac, Mr P K Gurudasan, Mr A K Balan, Mrs P K Sreemathi, Mr S Sarma, Mr G Sudhakaran, Mr M Vijayakumar and Mr Elamaram Karim (all CPI-M), Mr K P Rajendran, Mr Binoy Viswom, Mr C Divakaran and Mr Mullakkara Ratnakaran (all CPI), Mr P J Joseph (Kerala Congress-J), Mr N K Premachandran (RSP) and Mr Mathew T Thomas (Janata Dal-S) were the ministers sworn in today.

Sixteen of the ministers, including Chief Minister Achuthanandan, are new faces in the Cabinet. Mr Mohammedkutty, Mr Sarma and Mr P J Joseph were ministers in the Nayanar ministry of 1996-2001.

The CPI(M) has taken key portfolios like Home, Finance, Education, Industries, Electricity, Health, Law and Local Self-government.

Mr Achuthanandan was not given the portfolio of Home and Vigilance which went to Mr Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, a strong supporter of Party State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan.

Dr T M Thomas Isaac was given Finance, while the Industries portfolio went to Mr Elamaram Karim and Education to Mr M A Baby. Mr A K Balan will look after the portfolio of Electricity and Mrs P K Sreemathi Health and Social Welfare.

Mr K P Rajendran of the CPI was given Revenue, while his party colleague C Divakaran will handle Food and Civil Supplies. The Portfolio of Public Works went to Mr P J Joseph of the Kerala Congress(J) while Water Resources had been entrusted to RSP's N K Premachandran.

Mr Achuthanandan (82) is the twentyth Chief Minister of Kerala and the fifth from Communist ranks.

A large number of people, including the family members of the ministers, witnessed the swearing-in ceremony, held for the first time outside the Raj Bhavan premises.

The CPI(M)-led LDF had won 98 of the 140 Assembly seats in the April-May elections throwing the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) out of power.

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