Taliparamba MLA T. K. Govindan greets Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan as he walks on to the floor to take oath at the State Assembly in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN
Some of the most closely-watched moments at Thursday’s swearing-in ceremony of MLAs in the Kerala Assembly concerned the interactions between T.K. Govindan, V. Kunhikrishnan and G. Sudhakaran, former Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leaders who contested and won as United Democratic Front (UDF)-backed Independents in the CPI(M) strongholds, and former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who now leads the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the House as the Leader of the Opposition.Mr. Sudhakaran, who had won from Ambalappuzha after refusing to renew his party membership earlier this year over differences with the leadership, was also the Pro Tem Speaker who supervised the day’s proceedings.Mr. Govindan, who had left the party owing to internal disagreements, surprised everyone when he strode up to Mr. Vijayan, the former Chief Minister, first before taking the oath. Mr. Vijayan half-rose to shake Mr. Govindan’s hand. Mr. Govindan had scored a decisive win over P.K. Shyamala, the wife of CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan, in CPI(M) stronghold Taliparamba.
