Pinarayi's New Stormtroopers

KERALA

- Jeemon Jacob

When the Left Democratic Front (LDF) defied a 40-year-old trend to win a consecutive second term in Kerala, and that too with a massive mandate, almost everyone—including many in the opposition—agreed that it was a wave in favour of ‘Captain’ Pinarayi Vijayan. The chief minister had taken a massive gamble by keeping out many of the popular old warhorses, fielding instead a young and loyal brigade. But the people backed his choices and the CPI(M) won 62 of the 74 seats it contested, effectively neutralising the opposition (its allies including five independents won 37 seats, taking the LDF tally to 99 of 140 seats).

On paper, at least, Pinarayi has filled his second cabinet with people who have it in them to deliver. Party sources say senior colleagues were consulted, the pluses and minuses of each cabinet member evaluated. But some things remain the same, like ensuring regional representation and the caste balance. In his first cabinet, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Wayanad districts got no representation. In his second, Wayanad still gets a miss and so does the northernmost district Kasargod, but Kottayam and Ernakulam are well represented.

Of the 12 CPI(M) members in the 21-member cabinet, K. Radha Krishnan (a former minister and speaker) is the only one who has served with a government earlier. The chief minister himself holds charge of 29 departments, including vital ones such as home, vigilance, information technology, disaster management and even minority welfare (here too Pinarayi has made a statement, for it has almost always been reserved for a Muslim, the largest minority in the state). While allocating portfolios, political links and proven administrative ability were apparently given greater weightage, though most of the big portfolios have gone to a tight circle of loyalists.