Thiruvananthapuram: The CPI-M ministers in Kerala Chief Minister-designate Pinarayi Vijayan’s cabinet were named without much problem, but the process was more difficult in the CPI and two other constituents of the Left Democratic Front.

It was decided on Sunday that the Vijayan cabinet would have 19 members (including the chief minister) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist will have 12 berths, the Communist Party of India four and three other LDF constituents — the Janata Dal-S, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress-S - would get one each.

On Monday, the CPI-M named its ministers, including three — Thomas Issac, A.K.Balan and G.Sudhakran — who were ministers in the V.S.Achuthanandan cabinet (2006-11), while the new faces are E.P. Jayarajan, K.K. Shailaja, A.C. Moideen, Kadakampally Surendran, T.P. Ramakrishnan, C. Raveendranath, J.Mercykutty Amma and K.T. Jaleel (who won as a CPI-M-backed Independent).

However it was high drama at the state party headquarters of the CPI when the party leaders met to select their four ministers.

C. Divakaran and Mullakara Ratnakaran, who were part of the Achuthanandan cabinet, tried their level best to get a second term, but it was shot down by the party state secretary Kanam Rajendran, who instead nominated E. Chandrasekheran, P. Thilothaman, V.S. Sunil Kumar and P. Raju.

“Like in 2006, we selected new faces for the post of minister, this time also, we have followed that,” Rajendran told reporters while announcing their ministers.

Meanwhile the Janata Dal-S and the Nationalist Congress Party have not been able to select their ministerial candidates even after a few rounds as there are more than one aspirant for the posts.

But there is no such issue in the Congress-S as its lone legislator, Kadanapally Ramachandran, is all set to be sworn in.

Three other legislators from three different political parties, who are not LDF constituents but allies, also made a valiant attempt to get ministerial berths, but this was shot down by the CPI-M.

The new Vijayan cabinet will be sworn in at the Central Stadium here at 4pm on Wednesday.

The CPI-M-led LDF won the May 16 polls, winning 91 seats in the 140-member Kerala assembly.