Even as the United Democratic Front (UDF) secured a near landslide in the Assembly elections, the new Cabinet appears to have unsettled its own ranks, with Central Travancore emerging as the flashpoint of discontent.

Despite sweeping Kottayam and Idukki and dominating Pathanamthitta, the region’s thin Cabinet representation has triggered sharp criticism, with leaders and workers describing it a `raw deal’ for an area that delivered decisively at the ballot box. In the new Cabinet, the region has managed just one berth, that of Kerala Congress (Joseph) leader Mons Joseph, leaving the Congress without any ministerial representation from these districts.

Kottayam, which had expected at least three Cabinet posts, ended up with only a token presence. Senior Congress leader and chairman of the party’s political affairs committee, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, who was widely tipped for a ministerial role, was ultimately left out amid internal group equations. Though he accepted the post of Speaker without public protest, sources indicate that Mr. Radhakrishnan remains disappointed with the outcome.

Church dissatisfied

Chandy Oommen, son of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, also found himself out of the Cabinet race. Initially seen as a strong contender, he was eventually passed over in favour of Youth Congress state president O. J. Jeneesh. The Orthodox Church has already expressed dissatisfaction over his exclusion, terming it contrary to the `popular will’, even as the legislator sought to play down the omission.

Voicing displeasure

Kerala Democratic Party (KDP) leader and Pala MLA Mani C. Kappen, who has been required to share a ministerial tenure with Kerala Congress (Jacob) leader and Piravom MLA Anoop Jacob, effectively waiting for a second term to assume office, has also voiced strong displeasure with the arrangement. “Congress had promised me a ministerial berth even before the Assembly elections, and during the initial discussions in the UDF, there was no confusion regarding allocating full-term ministerial posts to all parties. However, one coalition partner asserted its claim over me, citing my status as a junior member of the UDF,” Kappen said. Having been sidelined, he now expects the UDF to accommodate him until he assumes the ministerial role.

In Idukki, despite the UDF winning all five seats, none of the legislators were considered for Cabinet inclusion. Interestingly, all five had wrested their constituencies from the LDF though it did not significantly influence the selection process. There is also a growing sense that Pathanamthitta, despite sending four first-time MLAs to the Assembly, too has been left out of the Cabinet arithmetic altogether.

“Central Travancore is a region that played a crucial role in bringing the UDF to power. But it is very disappointing that there is not even a single Congress minister from these three districts. It is hoped that representation will be given through a Cabinet reshuffle in the future,” said a Congress leader.

Meanwhile, a senior leader noted that a party like Congress is bound to balance multiple social, communal and regional equations while forming a Cabinet, which may inevitably result in some deserving leaders being left out. “Though all four leaders may have held important organisational positions within their parties, Cabinet formation is ultimately about political weight and social equations,” he pointed out.