No Cabinet rejig for now, confirms Kodiyeri

Kochi: Legislators of all political hues aspiring to become state ministers need to wait as the top ruling party, CPM, has no plans to rejg or expand the Council of Ministers led by veteran leader Pinarayi Vijayan. This was confirmed by party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Monday.

There won't be any reshuffle of ministerial portfolios too, he added.

Kodiyeri also disclosed that he was not in the race for ministerial berths.

Rumours of a likely ministerial expansion arose after a meeting between Muslim League leader P K Kunjalikutty and LDF-backed independent legislator KT Jaleel a few days ago.

Responding to the meet, Kodiyeri said the meeting between two leaders need not have a political bearing. However, keeping up a suspense he said "League will always stay put with those in power. Its cadre is discussing about future. It can't challenge Congress despite latter's 'soft Hindutva'."

It is widely suspected the CPM intends to wean away the Muslim League from the opposition United Democratic Front in a bid to weaken the Congress. The Congress is the avowed arch-rival of the CPM in the state.

The UDF hopes of returning to power in Kerala was stymied in the 2021 state elections by the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF which managed to retain power. With this setback, Muslim League leader Kunhalikutty's hopes of becoming a minister was dashed. He had resigned as a Lok Sabha MP and contested the state elections, hoping to be sworn in as minister again. He currently represents the Vengara legislative assembly constituency. He is the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly.

(Kunhalikutty had resigned as MLA in 2017 to contest the Malappuram Lok Sabha bye-election which was held following the death of E Ahamed, MP.)

Kunhalikutty was a member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly earlier too, from 1991 to 2006. He was a minister when the UDF was in power.

Jaleel is a former colleague of Kunhalikutty in the Muslim League. The former parted ways one-and-a-half decades ago and was widely considered Kunhalikutty's bete noire until recently.

Jaleel had trounced Kunhalikutty in the 2006 state elections from the Kuttippuram assembly seat. He had contested with LDF backing and later went on to become state minister. He is the Thavanur MLA.

He had recently targeted Kunhalikutty over irregularities in a cooperative bank at AR Nagar in Malappuram.