HIGHLIGHTS: Pinarayi Vijayan sworn in as Kerala CM for second time; inducts 20 new ministers in his Cabinet

By Anuj Cariappa

Updated: Thursday, May 20, 2021, 16:27 [IST]

New Delhi, May 20: CPI(M) veteran Pinarayi Vijayan, who led the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to an unprecedented consecutive victory in the April 6 assembly polls, was on Thursday sworn in as the Chief Minister of Kerala for the second successive term.

Governor Arif Mohammed Khan administered the oath of office to 76-year-old Vijayan in a low-key function at the Central Stadium here, which was held completely in adherencewith the COVID protocol.

4:25 PM, 20 May

20 ministers of the new Kerala cabinet, including NCP's AK Saseendran, Indian National League's (INL) Ahammad Devarkovil, R Bindu and PA Mohammed Riyas, take oath along with CM Pinarayi Vijayan.

Thiruvananthapuram: 20 ministers of the new Kerala cabinet, including NCP's AK Saseendran, Indian National League's (INL) Ahammad Devarkovil, R Bindu and PA Mohammed Riyas, take oath along with CM Pinarayi Vijayan. pic.twitter.com/Zp5FWSRBjF
— ANI (@ANI) May 20, 2021

4:20 PM, 20 May

Minister designate J Chinchurani – Legal Metrology, Dairy Development and Animal Husbandry Ministry - takes oath of office

4:20 PM, 20 May

Minister designate Dr R Bindhu – Higher Education Ministry - takes oath of office

4:19 PM, 20 May

Minister designate KN Balagopal – Finance Ministry - takes oath of office

4:12 PM, 20 May

Minister designate Ahammad Devarkovil – Ports Ministry - takes oath of office

4:12 PM, 20 May

Minister designate Antony Raju – Transport Ministry - takes oath of office

4:12 PM, 20 May

Minister designate Abdul Rahman – Minority affairs and NRKs Ministry - takes oath of office

4:12 PM, 20 May

Minister designate G R Anil- Civil Supplies Ministry - takes oath of office

4:04 PM, 20 May

Minister designate Ahammad Devarkovil – Ports Ministry - takes oath of office

4:04 PM, 20 May

Minister designate AK Saseendran- Forest Ministry - takes oath of office

4:04 PM, 20 May

Minister designate K Krishnankutty – Power Ministry - takes oath of office

4:03 PM, 20 May

Minister designate Roshi Augustine – Water Resource Department - takes oath of office

4:02 PM, 20 May

Minister designate K Rajan (Revenue Minister) takes oath of office

3:43 PM, 20 May

Governor Khan greets CM Pinarayi Vijayan

3:43 PM, 20 May

Vijayan sworn in as Chief Minister of Kerala for the second time

3:28 PM, 20 May

CM designate Pinarayi Vijayan reaches Central Stadium, greets his cabinet colleagues ahead of swearing in

3:28 PM, 20 May

Vijayan takes a round of the gallery to greet party MLAs

3:08 PM, 20 May

Vijayan, along with ten ministers-designate of CPM and CPI and Speaker-designate MB Rajesh, paid floral tributes to the martyrs of the party first at the Vayalar memorial, followed by the one at Valiyachudukadu in Punnapra.

12:40 PM, 20 May

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government led by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan will assume office on Thursday evening.

12:40 PM, 20 May

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government led by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan will assume office on Thursday evening.

12:39 PM, 20 May

A 21-member Cabinet will be sworn in at 3.30 p.m. in Thiruvananthapuram by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan following COVID-19 protocol

10:44 AM, 20 May

The chief minister is expected to have a 21-member cabinet, out of which the CPI(M) will have 12 ministerial berths, CPI will have four and Kerala Congress (M), Janata Dal (S) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will have one each.

10:44 AM, 20 May

Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Party (LDF) government in Kerala will be sworn in on Thursday following coronavirus disease (Covid-19) appropriate protocols. The ceremony will take place at a stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, which has the capacity to hold around 50,000 people. The government has invited 500 guests to attend the function, news agency PTI reported.

12:58 PM, 10 May

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's 13 cabinet ministers also take the oath

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's 13 cabinet ministers also take the oath. pic.twitter.com/JeV8LF4ls4
— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2021

12:14 PM, 10 May

Himanta Biswa Sarma takes oath as the Chief Minister of Assam. He is being administered the oath by Governor Jagdish Mukhi. BJP national president JP Nadda and other leaders present at the ceremony.

Himanta Biswa Sarma takes oath as the Chief Minister of Assam. He is being administered the oath by Governor Jagdish Mukhi. BJP national president JP Nadda and other leaders present at the ceremony. pic.twitter.com/1bZQVPlWsd
— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2021

11:22 AM, 10 May

Altogether 43 ministers, including 19 ministers of state, took oath at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata in presence of party supremo Mamata Banerjee. They were sworn in by Governor Gagdeep Dhankhar.

11:14 AM, 10 May

Kolkata: 43 TMC leaders sworn-in as ministers in West Bengal cabinet

11:13 AM, 10 May

West Bengal

The swearing-in ceremony of Mamata Banerjee's cabinet to begin at Raj Bhavan shortly

11:13 AM, 10 May

Assam

Chief Minister-designate Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Doul Gobinda Temple and Kamakhya Temple today before the swearing-in ceremony

Assam: Chief Minister-designate Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Doul Gobinda Temple and Kamakhya Temple today before the swearing-in ceremony#Guwahati pic.twitter.com/zvDjy2WtlY
— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2021

9:38 AM, 10 May

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will undertake an exercise to expand her Cabinet today. As many as 43 ministers will join the Trinamool Congress government in the state. Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar will administer the oath of office and secrecy to all the new ministers at a low-key ceremony at Raj Bhavan.

May 01, 2021, 5:22 pm IST

The state polls are over in four states of Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

May 01, 2021, 5:23 pm IST

Counting of votes in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry will start at 8 AM on May 2

May 01, 2021, 5:23 pm IST

This year the Election Commission has banned victory rallies, after the results are declared, in a bid to control the spread of the deadly virus.

May 01, 2021, 5:23 pm IST

The initial trends are likely around mid-day but the outcome will be clear only in the evening - around 5 PM.

May 01, 2021, 5:37 pm IST

The Exit Poll results were more or less on the same lines as predicted by the Opinion Polls a month ago.

May 01, 2021, 5:37 pm IST

West Bengal

The exit polls favoured Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal predicting a tight race in the state with the BJP following the TMC very closely. The BJP in Assam and the LDF in Kerala is set to retain power. In Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin may swear in as the 8th Chief Minister if exit polls proved true. Puducherry is all set to have an NDA government.

May 01, 2021, 5:37 pm IST

Kerala

In Kerala, as many as 957 candidates, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, 11 of his cabinet colleagues, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, Senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy, BJP state chief K Surendran, ''Metroman'' E Sreedharan, and former Union minister, K J Alphons among others were in fray for the 140 assembly seats.

May 01, 2021, 5:38 pm IST

Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, though there were four fronts including actor-politician Kamal Haasan''s Makkal Needhi Maiam led combine, the key contest was between the ruling AIADMK and main opposition DMK, which exit polls have predicted that would wrest the reins of power.

May 01, 2021, 5:38 pm IST

Tamil Nadu

There were nearly 4,000 candidates in the fray including Chief Minister K Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, DMK president M K Stalin, his son and party youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin, AIADMK''s rival and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam chief TTV Dhinakaran, MNM''s Haasan and BJP state unit chief L Murugan were among the prominent candidates.

May 01, 2021, 5:43 pm IST

Puducherry

In the union territory of Puducherry, the former Chief Minister N Rangaswamy led All India NR Congress-BJP alliance and Congress-DMK combine are the key contenders for power. Exit polls have predicted a win for the front led by Rangaswamy. As many as 1,382 personnel would be deployed for counting of votes in the whole of the UT while about 400 police personnel shall be on security duties.

May 02, 2021, 4:57 am IST

Beginning 8 am, the counting of votes for the 822 assembly seats will take place at 2,364 counting halls.

May 02, 2021, 5:24 am IST

West Bengal

A three-tier security arrangement has been in place at 108 counting centres where polled electronic voting machines (EVMs), along with voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units have been kept in strong rooms.

May 02, 2021, 5:35 am IST

West Bengal

At least 292 observers have been appointed and 256 companies of central forces deployed at the counting centres spread across 23 districts of the state that voted in eight phases between March 27 and April 29.

May 02, 2021, 5:47 am IST

Counting for of votes will begin on May 2, 2021 at 8 am.

May 02, 2021, 6:15 am IST

West Bengal

The majority of exit polls released after the eighth and final round of voting suggested that the ruling TMC might have an edge over the opposition BJP and the Left-Congress-ISF combine

May 02, 2021, 6:32 am IST

One reserved unused Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) was found inside a trunk at a counting centre in Assam's Hailakandi on Saturday evening, a day before the counting of polls are scheduled to begin. As per a statement, district election officer Megh Nidhi Dahal along with returning officers rushed to the spot where the EVM was detected and made an inquiry into it. The contesting candidates also reached the spot.

May 02, 2021, 6:54 am IST

Kerala

Riding high after various pre-poll and post-poll surveys that predicted Communist Party of India (M)-led Left Democratic Front victory, acting state secretary and LDF convener A Vijayaraghavan has exerted confidence that the Left will get continuation in power with a thumping victory.

May 02, 2021, 7:10 am IST

The counting of votes will begin at 8am in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry. Postal ballots will be counted first

May 02, 2021, 7:20 am IST

West Bengal

The power-packed campaigns by the main contenders - the Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), involved rallies with large participations and mega roadshows.

May 02, 2021, 7:42 am IST

Tamil Nadu

Exit polls have unanimously predicted a DMK victory in the state which means that MK Stalin could become the new CM of the state. But in 2016 too, several exit polls had predicted a DMK return but AIADMK proved them wrong

May 02, 2021, 7:51 am IST

Assam

The NDA comprises BJP and AGP. The mega opposition alliance is led by the Congress and AIUDF

May 02, 2021, 8:06 am IST

Counting of votes for Assembly Elections 2021 begins

May 02, 2021, 8:09 am IST

Postal ballot votes to be counted first

May 02, 2021, 8:10 am IST

Votes being counted across Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

May 02, 2021, 8:12 am IST

Tamil Nadu

Election officers wearing face mask count postal ballots in Tamil Nadu

May 02, 2021, 8:14 am IST

Uttar Pradesh

Counting of votes has begun for UP Panchayat Election 2021

May 02, 2021, 8:14 am IST

As of now TMC leading on 6, BJP -3, according to postal ballots West Bengal Elections 2021

May 02, 2021, 8:16 am IST

Meanwhile, votes are also being counted for by-election to parliamentary constituencies in Andhra Pradesh (Tirupati), Karnataka (Belgaum), Kerala (Malappuram) and Tamil Nadu (Kanyakumari)

May 02, 2021, 8:17 am IST

Kerala

As per early trends, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) leads in Vaikom as counting of votes begin in Kerala.

May 02, 2021, 8:18 am IST

Tamil Nadu

First leads for Tamil Nadu: TTV Dhinakaran-led AMMK alliance ahead in 1 seat