Pinarayi Vijayan sworn in as Kerala Chief Minister for second time

CPI(M) Veteran Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday took oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala for the second time.

Vijayan was administered the oath of office by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan along with 20 other ministers, in a low-key ceremony that was held in accordance with the COVID-19 protocols.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, senior party politburo members, CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran and leaders of various religious and caste organisations attended the function.

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the government to restrict the number of participants at the function in view of the pandemic.

Congratulating Vijayan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted:"Congratulations to Shri @vijayanpinarayi Ji on taking oath as CM and commencing his second term in office," It is the Marxist veteran's second stint in the top office. While 15 ministers including the chief minister took oath in the name of the Indian Constitution, five took it in the name of God.

Vijayan led the ruling LDF to a stupendous electoral victory in the Assembly elections, but the omission of 'rockstar' Health Minister KK Shailaja from the new cabinet sparked a debate.

The LDF retained power in Kerala by winning 99 seats, beating its rivals-Congress-headed United Democratic Front (UDF) and BJP-NDA. While UDF could manage only 41 seats, the saffron front failed to win any seat in the polls.