Pinarayi Vijayan took his oath with 19 ministers at the central stadium in Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram.
Highlights
- LDF's Pinarayi Vijayan takes oath at Thiruvananthapuram stadium
- Mr Vijayan will head a 19-member cabinet in Kerala
- Committed to truly turning Kerala into God's own country, he says
Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Pinarayi Vijayan today took oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala with 19 ministers at the central stadium in capital Thiruvananthapuram in a ceremony that drew over 30,000 people.
Front page jacket ads in national newspapers this morning announced that Mr Vijayan will take oath today as chief minister and is "committed to turn Kerala into a truly God's own country".
It was an introduction to Mr Vijayan, overshadowed outside Kerala by the towering presence and charisma of his Marxist colleague VS Achuthanandan for most part of his career, but whose resume is by no means thin.
Pinarayi Vijayan served for 17 years as the CPM's Kerala state secretary, the longest tenure ever. He has been elected to the state assembly five times and won this year's election from Dharmadam constituency by a margin of 36,000 votes.
The son of a toddy tapper, Mr Vijayan was picked to be chief minister over Mr Achuthanandan, the CPM's star campaigner, primarily because he is younger, the party explained. Mr Vijayan is 72, 20 years younger than 93-year-old Mr Achuthanandan.
"This will be a people's government and will function for the welfare of the people. There will be no caste, religious and political barriers and we will function with that spirit," Mr Vijayan has promised.
Among the pledges his newspaper ads make this morning are safety for women and minorities, welfare of students and the elderly and a promise of new jobs and control of inflation.
CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury speaking to NDTV said, "The advertisements are a normal way for a new government. Not only in Kerala, but even in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. But Pinarayi Vijayan will give a clean and corruption free government. That's going to be a priority."
In his cabinet, Mr Vijayan will have 12 ministers from the CPM or Communist Party of India-Marxist, four from the Communist Party of India or CPI and one each from LDF constituents the Janata Dal-S, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress-S.
Last week, the LDF wrested Kerala back from the Oomen Chandy-led Congress.