KK Shailaja, the former Health Minister of Kerala, will not be a part of the Left Democratic Front’s new cabinet. The LDF, which defied history and norm by winning a second consecutive term in the recent Assembly polls, will have a new cabinet in which no previous minister has found place. Barring Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, of course, of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which heads the LDF.

The state committee of the CPM, which met at its headquarters AKG Centre, elected Vijayan to lead the party, a party statement said. The committee, chaired by senior leader Elamaram Kareem, decided to entrust Shailaja, popular as Shailaja Teacher in Kerala and beyond, the position of party whip, the statement added.

No one from the earlier LDF ministry is part of the new ministry except for the Chief Minister. “This is our party decision. Only our party has the courage to do so. Many top performers were also not allowed to contest elections. We want new faces,” A.N. Shamsheer, CPM MLA, told NDTV.

Shailaja’s exclusion has drawn sharp reactions on social media, even from rivals like Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. “Sorry to see Shailaja leave the Kerala cabinet. Aside from her reputed competence and efficiency, I always found her helpful, responsive and accessible as Health Minister, especially during the #Covid crisis. She will be missed,” Tharoor, a Congress MP from Kerala, said.

Given her performance in Kerala against both Covid-19 and the Nipah virus, many were shocked by the heartlessness shown by the CPM, which they sense had gained from Shailaja’s command of the situation.

Other Twitter users accused the party of sexism.

Reports suggest those picked for the new cabinet are MV Govindan, KN Balagopal, K Radhakrishnan, VN Vasavan, P Rajeev, Saji Cherian, V Sivankutty, Mohd Riyas, Dr R Bindu, Veena George and V Abdul Rahman.

Also, the inclusion of Riyas, the son-in-law of Vjayan, has drawn charges of nepotism against the LDF.

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