Pinarayi Vijayan who steered the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala to a resounding victory in the 2021 Assembly elections resigned from his post of Chief Minister, ahead of the new ministry formation, on May 3.
According to sources, he drove to the Raj Bhavan around noon and submitted his resignation letter to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan. He has been asked to continue as Chief Minister till the new government is sworn in, a Raj Bhavan source said.
Scripting history, the LDF retained power in Kerala, bucking the over four-decade-long trend of the state switching between Communist and Congress-led fronts alternately.
The LDF won 99 of the total 140 seats, while the opposition UDF had to settle for the remaining 41. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), ruling the country, did not win a single seat in the election and lost the seat they had won in the 2016 Assembly election.
During Sunday evening’s press conference, Pinarayi Vijayan said that it was a time for people to work together, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are going through difficult times. We have to stand together at this time. Only then we can overcome the crises faced by our state,” he said.
About their plans for the next five years, Pinarayi Vijayan said that it was made clear in the manifesto. “A new Kerala, with a lot of changes. Our state is dear to us. It should prosper more. Jobs should increase, social justice should be done. We should all move forward together. This victory has made us more responsible. This is a victory of the common people–women, children and all categories of people. A victory of goodness and values,” he said.
Dedicating the victory to the people of Kerala, he said, “Only the LDF government can ensure the welfare of the poor. This thought was there with the common people of Kerala, with all families regardless of their caste, religion or politics.”
(With PTI input)