Meet the 11 CPI(M) Ministers in Pinarayi 2.0 cabinet

The second consecutive term of the Pinarayi Vijayan Cabinet in Kerala is all set to have eleven fresh faces from the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala): The second consecutive term of the Pinarayi Vijayan Cabinet in Kerala is all set to have eleven fresh faces from the Communist Party of India (Marxist). While K.K. Shailaja, the much-lauded Health Minister of the outgoing Pinarayi government, has been dropped by the party while choosing the new ministry.

M V Govindan (67)

A legislator from Talipparambu constituency. He is being elected as the MLA for the third time. Govindan, a CPI(M) Central Committee member, was a Kerala Student Federation (KSF) activist and Kannur District Youth Federation (KSYF) office-bearer. When the KSYF was formed. Govindan rose to a leadership position. He is also one of the founding leaders of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI).

He has served as the All India preparatory committee member, the Central Committee Member for the DYFI, and the state secretary of the DYFI. He had suffered at the hands of the police during the protests against the Emergency in India and was behind the bars for 4 months. Earlier, he has been an MLA for ten years.

As he became active in politics while working as a physical education teacher with Talipparambu Pariyaram Iringal UP School, he retired from the position voluntarily. He had participated in the 1986 Moscow World Festival of Youth and Students.

Govindan was born to the late couple K Kunjambu and M V Madhaviamma in Kannur Morazha. His wife PK Shyamala is a CPI(M) Kannur District Committee member.

K Radhakrishnan (57)

Radhakrishnan, elected to the Kerala Assembly from Chelakkara, is popular among the Dalit faces in the CPI(M). Radhakrishnan, who is becoming a Minister for the second time, is being elected to Assembly for the 5th time in 2021.

After winning the 1996 election for the first time from Chelakkara as a legislator, Radhakrishnan was the Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes. Later, he was elected as the legislator from Chelakkara consecutively in 2001, 2006, and 2011. In 2001, he was the Chief Whip for the Opposition. In 2006, he became the Assembly Speaker. In2011, he was reelected from Chelakkara as the MLA. However, in 2016, Radhakrishnan did not contest in the elections.

Being very active in the organization works of the party, Radhakrishnan had also become the CPI(M) Thrissur District secretary. Later, Radhakrishnan, who was the CPIM Central Committee member, was chosen as the Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch’s All India President. Radhakrishnan had reached the public arena through his works with the SFI.

P Rajeev (54)

Rajeev becomes the legislator for the first time elected from Kalamassery. He was earlier a Member of the Parliament in Rajya Sabha. He has been the CPI(M) state secretariat member and the Chief Editor with the Deshabhimani daily newspaper. From 2015 to 2018, he was the Ernakulam district secretary of the CPI(M). Rajeev has also been the state secretary, district secretary, All India vice president for the SFI, and district secretary for the DYFI.

On the day of police firing at Koothuparambu, Rajeev, who was a student leader then, had held black flags at former Chief Minister K Karunakaran at Ernakulam. He was picked by the police and had suffered police torture in connection with the incident.

From 2009 through 2015, he was a Rajya Sabha Member and the Assurance Committee Chairman and the Panel of Chairmen. He has also served as the CPI(M) parliamentary party Deputy Leader and the CPI(M) Chief Whip in the Rajya Sabha.

Born to P Vasudevan, a revenue inspector and Radha, Rajeev, originally hailing from Meladur in Thrissur District, has been residing at Kalamassery for a long time now. His wife Vani Kesari is a professor at the CUSAT School of Legal Studies. Hridhya and Haritha are his children.

K N Balagopal (56)

Balagopal, who has been elected to the Assembly for the first time from Kottarakkara, was a Rajya Sabha member earlier. He was the Kollam district secretary for the CPI(M) and is presently the CPI(M) state secretariat member.

Balagopalan ventured into student politics as the Union magazine editor while at SN College, Punaloor. Later, he became the College Union Chairman, SFI Punaloor Area president, Thiruvananthapuram MG College Union Chairman, SFI Kollam district president, district secretary, state president, state secretary, All India president and DYFI all India president.

Born to late couple P K Narayana Panicker and O V Radhamani Amma at Kalanjur Sree Nikethan in Pathanapuram, Balagopalan is an M Com and LLM graduate. He is married to college professor Asha Prabhakaran and has two children - Kalyani and Sreehari.

V N Vasavan (66)

A second timer in the Assembly, Vasavan has been elected Ettumanoor constituency this time for a majority margin of 14303 votes.

He has been the CPI(M) Kottayam district secretary for the past 6 years and the State Committee member. He has also served in the roles of DYFI State Committee member, CITU district president and secretary. Presently, he is a member of the All India general Council and State Committee, CITU.

Besides being the first state general secretary of Kerala Private Hospital Employees Federation and Indian Coffee house Employees Union founder president, Vasavan has been an office bearer and leader with many trade union organizations. He has also worked as the Syndicate member for Kaladi Sanskrit University.

Vasavan was popular among the people in diverse roles as RUBCO founder-director, chairman, Kottayam District Cooperative Bank president, State Cooperative Bank Director, Pambadi Housing Society president, Pambadi Service Cooperative Bank Administrative committee member, and Pambadi Panchayath member among others.

Currently, he also adorns roles such as Navalokam Cultural Centre president, T K Memorial Study Centre patron and Executive member with Kottayam Medical College Hospital Development Society.

Vasavan, a native of Pambadi, is married to Geetha, a teacher with the Pambadi Saint Thomas High School.

Saji Cherian (55)

Another second-time legislator, Saji Cherian represents Chengannur in the Assembly. In the 2018 bypoll following the death of KK Ramachandran Nair, Saji Cherian won the Chengannur seat at a whopping win margin of 20956 votes, for the first time.

Saji, who reached the public sphere through student activism with the SFI, has also worked as SFI District president, district secretary, DYFI district president, secretary, CITU district president, CPI(M) Chengannur area secretary, district secretary. Presently, he is a state committee member of the CPI(M).

He was also the District Panchayath Development standing committee chairman, Chengannur Block panchayath president, Kerala University Syndicate member, Sports Council district president, Alappuzha district cooperative bank president, State Cooperative bank executive committee member. Married to Christina, Saji’s children are Dr Nithya, Dr Drishya and Sravya (MBBS student). His sons-in-law are Allan and Justin.

V Sivankutty (69)

CPI(M)’s V Sivankutty won back Nemom, the only BJP seat in Kerala, for the LDF. His win had grabbed much attention as Nemom witnessed a tough triangular fight this time.

Sivankutty reaches the Assembly for the third time now. He has served as the SFI State president and secretary. Besides, his performance as Panchayath president at Ulloor and Mayor Thiruvananthapuram Corporation was lauded.

He had represented Nemom in the 2011 election, and Thiruvananthapuram East in the 2006 elections. Presently, a CPI(M) State Committee Member, Sivankutty is also the state secretary of the CITU.

Residing at Mulakkal Veedu in Subash Nagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Sivankutty is the son-in-law of CPI(M) ideologue P Govindanpilla. His wife R Parvathidevi is a PSC member. The couple has a son named Govind Sivan.

R Bindu (53)

R Bindu wins from the Iringalakkuda constituency in Thrissur in her debut contest to the Assembly. Bindu has served as the first Mayor of Thrissur Corporation. She serves as the Central Executive Committee member of All India Democratic Women’s Association and a District committee member of the CPI(M) in Thrissur.

She was the Head of the Department of English at Kerala Varma College Thrissur and was Principal in charge of the College.

Reaching the public sphere through student activism with the SFI, Bindu was also the Senate and Syndicate member of Calicut University. She had done her studies at Iringalakkuda Government Girls High School, Iringalakkuda St Joseph College, Calicut University Department of English, and Delhi Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). She was a rank holder in her post-graduation in English besides securing M Phil and Ph D.

A Vijayaraghavan, LDF convenor and CPI(M) State (acting) secretary is her husband.

Their son V Harikrishnan is an advocate with the District Court in Manjeri.

Veena George (45)

While being a media person, Veena George, contested for the Left unexpectedly and represented the Aranmula constituency in the previous election. This time also, Veena has won from the same constituency yet again and has now reached the Cabinet.

She has worked as a senior journalist with the Manorma News and Indiavision news channel.

A CPI(M) area committee member, Veena also reached the political sphere through the SFI.

In 2012, Veena was one of the 5 Indian media persons chosen to report the American presidential elections. She has served as the first woman executive director in the Malayalam television media space. She presents the ‘Naam Munnottu’ programme of the State Government. She was also a rank holder from Kerala University in M Sc Physics and B Ed. She has also received many accolades for journalism including the UAE Green Choice awards.

P A Muhammed Riyas (44)

First time in the Assembly from Beypore, Riyas is the All India President of the DYFI. Kerala’s close attention fell on Muhammed Riyas when he became the CPI(M) candidate from Kozhikode LS constituency, unexpectedly, in 2009.

After his B Com from Farook College in Kozhikode, Riyas has also completed Law from Kozhikode Law College. He has served as the SFI district secretariat member and DYFI State joint secretary. Presently, he is the state committee member of the CPI(M).

Son of retired Police Commissioner PM Abdul Khader and KM Ayishabi, Riyas is married to Veena, CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter.

V Abdu Rahman (61)

V Abdu Rahman reaches the Assembly for the second consecutive time from Tanur, a Muslim League fortress. He won the seat for the CPI(M) at a majority margin of 985 votes.

A native of Pookkayil in Tirur, Abdu Rahman reached the public sphere through the KSU. He has worked as the KSU Taluk secretary, and later as the block secretary and district secretary in Tiroor for the Youth Congress. He was also the Youth wing secretary for the INTUC, besides being the KPCC member, Tirur Municipality vice-chairman and Standing Committee chairman.

After quitting the Congress, he contested as an LDF independent from Ponnani for the Lok Sabha election in 2014. In 2016, he reached the Assembly by defeating IUML’s then MLA Abdu Rahman Randathani from Tanur as a CPIM independent.

He was the patron of Umaithanakath Kunji Khader Memorial Charitable Trust, active in humanitarian and charitable activities and has served as the president of Act Tirur.

Abdu Rahman is the son of Vellekkattu Muhammad Hamza and Nethiyil Khadeeja. Married to Sajitha, the couple has three children - Rizwana Sherin, Aman Sangeeth, Nahala Naval.