19-member Left Front Ministry sworn in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, May 18: A 19-member Left Democratic Front (LDF) Ministry headed by CPI(M) politbureau member V S Achuthanandan was sworn in today in Kerala.

Governor R L Bhatia administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Achuthanandan and the new Ministers at a function in the Central Stadium adjacent to the State Secretariat complex.

Mr Paloli Mohammedkutty, 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.

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.

Mr Achuthanandan (82) is the 25th Chief Minister of Kerala and the fifth from Communist ranks.

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

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

UNI