Thiruvananthapuram: After a memorable five-year term as chief minister of Kerala that lasted till a fortnight ago, V.S. Achuthanandan was yesterday elected as the leader of the Communist Party of India Marxist in the legislative assembly.
This will see him lead the Left Democratic Front alliance in the state assembly as Opposition leader.
Achuthanandan's deputy in the House will be CPM politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who was the home minister in the Achuthanandan ministry.
Achuthanandan had been the clear front-runner in the race to be opposition leader, after he impressively led the UDF in the election campaign, which left the LDF only two seats short of the half-way mark of 70 seats in the 140-member state assembly.
The first session of the state assembly is expected to meet on June 24, when Achuthanandan will begin his third stint as Opposition leader.
As the two fronts in the state began preparations for the first session of the assembly, former minister and Kerala Congress (B) leader R. Balakrishna Pillai said yesterday that a significant number of Christians in central Kerala had voted for the LDF, which contributed to the Left Front's good show.
Even as the new Oommen Chandy government held its first comprehensive cabinet meeting yesterday, some confusion continued to prevail over the decision to trifurcate the local administration department.
Former finance minister T.M. Thomas Isaac said the decision to form a cabinet sub-committee to deal with the problem was not a solution. The Chandy government is also battling demand for a fifth ministerial berth by the Indian Union Muslim League, the second largest constituent of the ruling United Democratic Front.
This will see him lead the Left Democratic Front alliance in the state assembly as Opposition leader.
Achuthanandan's deputy in the House will be CPM politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who was the home minister in the Achuthanandan ministry.
Achuthanandan had been the clear front-runner in the race to be opposition leader, after he impressively led the UDF in the election campaign, which left the LDF only two seats short of the half-way mark of 70 seats in the 140-member state assembly.
The first session of the state assembly is expected to meet on June 24, when Achuthanandan will begin his third stint as Opposition leader.
As the two fronts in the state began preparations for the first session of the assembly, former minister and Kerala Congress (B) leader R. Balakrishna Pillai said yesterday that a significant number of Christians in central Kerala had voted for the LDF, which contributed to the Left Front's good show.
Even as the new Oommen Chandy government held its first comprehensive cabinet meeting yesterday, some confusion continued to prevail over the decision to trifurcate the local administration department.
Former finance minister T.M. Thomas Isaac said the decision to form a cabinet sub-committee to deal with the problem was not a solution. The Chandy government is also battling demand for a fifth ministerial berth by the Indian Union Muslim League, the second largest constituent of the ruling United Democratic Front.
