In a move to uphold its commitment to coalition partners, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) has announced a cabinet reshuffle scheduled for December 29. Transport Minister Antony Raju of the Democratic Kerala Congress and Ports Minister Ahammad Devarkovil of the Indian National League have voluntarily resigned from their positions, paving the way for new ministers, as reported by PTI.
LDF Convener E P Jayarajan conveyed this information during a press meet, disclosing that the resignations had been submitted. He mentioned that the portfolios of the incoming ministers would be determined by the Chief Minister. The Congress (S) representative Ramachandran Kadannappally and Kerala Congress (B) member K B Ganesh Kumar are set to take the oath as ministers for the remainder of the term.
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This reshuffle aligns with the understanding reached among coalition partners when the second LDF government assumed power in May 2021. The decision to allocate cabinet berths to four single-MLA parties on a "sharing the term" basis was based on constitutional clauses limiting the cabinet to 21 members.
Transport Minister Antony Raju, speaking after his resignation, revealed that he had been prepared to step down in November but was requested to continue due to the Nava Kerala Sadas. He expressed satisfaction at resigning after successfully settling all salary dues for KSRTC staff during his tenure. Meanwhile, Ports Minister Ahammad Devarkovil expressed contentment with his ministerial role over the past two and a half years during his interaction with the media.
