TRIVANDRUM, 31 August 2004 — The Congress Legislature Party in Kerala yesterday unanimously elected Oommen Chandy their leader to succeed A.K. Antony as the state chief minister.
He will be sworn in by Governor R.L. Bhatia as the southern state’s 19th chief minister at 12.30 p.m. today along with four coalition leaders.
Chandy is currently the convener of the eight-party United Democratic Front (UDF) that the Congress leads in Kerala.
Antony, who resigned dramatically on Sunday saying he was taking full responsibility for the party’s rout in the parliamentary elections three months ago, proposed Chandy’s name at the meeting and there were no opposition.
The Congress party has decided to change all its ministers while consultations are being held with the coalition partners on their choices. The Congress leaders said their nominees would be decided within a week while leaders of the coalition partners, P.K. Kunhalikkutty, K.M. Mani, K.R. Gowri and M. V. Raghavan, all members of the outgoing government, are taking oath along with Chandy.
Babu Divakaran of Revolutionary Socialist Party, who is the labor minister in the outgoing ministry, would not be taking oath today. RSP Secretary A.V. Thamarakshan said the state committee meeting of his party being held on Thursday would decide on its nominee. Shibu Baby John, son of veteran leader Baby John, is a strong contender.
It was not clear who will represent Kerala Congress (B) and Kerala Congress (Jacob) in the Cabinet when it is expanded a week later.
Before the Congress Legislature Party meeting yesterday, an All-India Congress Committee team led by Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee, had met almost all the Congress legislators individually and inquired about their personal preferences. They also met leaders of the UDF partners.
A vast majority of the legislators and the coalition partners favored the 61-year-old Chandy against Speaker Vakkom Purushothaman, who held intense lobbying with the support of senior leader K. Karunakaran.
Earlier, state Congress functionaries met at the MLAs’ Hostel and decided not to invite the Kerala Congress factions led by Transport Minister R. Balakrishna Pillai and Irrigation Minister T.M. Jacob for talks. They also decided not to induct them in the new Cabinet.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the second largest coalition partner, is also likely to change at least one of its ministers and exchange some portfolios with the Congress.
Its secretary P.K. Kunhalikkutty said IUML state president Panakkad Syed Mohammed Ali Shihab Thangal had called a high-level meeting here today to discuss the proposals. The Congress has staked claim for Nalakath Sooppy’s education portfolio.
