Leftist leaders are generally known to be atheists and non-superstitious. Only three among the Kerala ministers sworn-in on Wednesday took their oath in the name of God. But when it came to select the number for their official car, apparently no one is ready to take the ‘unlucky’ number 13.
Even in the previous UDF ministry, there were no takers for number 13. But in 2006, in the VS Achuthanandan cabinet, then education minister MA Baby opted for it to break the stigma attached to the number.
While Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan opted number 1 for his vehicle, CPI's E Chandrasekharan, the revenue minister and JD(U) representative Mathew T Thomas got number 2 and 3 correspondingly.
Meanwhile The Times of India reports that seating arrangement in the cabinet room has also been arranged corresponding to the allotment of the official vehicle number, with ministers from allied parties sitting in the clockwise order after the chief minister in the oval-shaped table.