After the Left Democratic Front (LDF) swept majority of seats in the assembly elections in Kerala, senior CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Pinarayi Vijayan, 72, has been chosen to be the next chief minister of the state.
The decision was taken during a meeting of CPI(M) leaders on Friday, May 20, even though rumours had had it that VS Achuthanandan would return to the chief minister's seat after five years.
The official announcement on the decision was expected to be made in the evening after an executive meeting of the party members in Thiruvananthapuram.
Also check: Kerala Assembly election 2016 wrap up | Full Winners' List
Meanwhile, Oommen Chandy has resigned from the Kerala chief minister post, handing over the resignation letter to Kerala Governor P Sathasivam at 10:30 a.m. on Friday. Chandy, who won from the Puthupally constituency in Kottayam, also hinted that he would not be the next opposition leader.
With the results of the elections out on Thursday, the South Indian state witnessed a massive LDF wave, as the alliance won 91 seats in the 140-member Assembly. The United Democratic Front (UDF) could bag only 48 seats, and the Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) opened its account in Kerala with a senior BJP leader O Rajagopal winning from Nemom constituency in the capital city by a margin of 8,671 votes. Independent candidate PC George, who has been ousted from both the LDF and the UDF, snatched a historic win from Poonjar in Kottayam by 27,821 votes.
