Kochi: Kerala Transport Minister Antony Raju and Ports Minister Ahamed Devarkovil submitted their resignations to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday, paving the way for a mid-term cabinet reshuffle.Their replacements – KB Ganesh Kumar and Kadannappalli Ramachandran – will be sworn in as new ministers on December 29. The move comes as part of a pre-election agreement within the Left Democratic Front (LDF) coalition.

Raju, a senior leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) – the dominant force in the LDF – has held the crucial Transport portfolio since the first Pinarayi Vijayan government in 2016. Devarkovil, a prominent leader of the Indian National League (INL), a key LDF ally, has been the Ports Minister since 2021.

Their resignations will take effect on December 29, when their replacements – KB Ganesh Kumar and Kadannappalli Ramachandran – will be sworn in as new ministers. Kumar, a popular leader from the Kerala Congress (B), will take over the Transport portfolio, while Ramachandran, a senior Congress (S) leader, will head the Ports, Museum, Archaeology, and Archives departments.

The cabinet reshuffle was widely expected and has been the subject of much speculation in recent weeks.

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