As two prominent leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from here are set to receive ministerial berths in the Left Democratic Front ministry, the district will have a representation of three in the Cabinet including Chief Minister-designate Pinarayi Vijayan.
CPI(M) Central committee members E.P. Jayarajan and K.K. Shylaja, both moulded by the political geography of the district, are tipped to be ministers in the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Cabinet.
Party cadres and LDF workers here are jubilant that the district is going to have a good representation in the new Ministry to be sworn-in.
“Kannur will be the political capital of the State now as two more prominent party leaders from here will be in the Ministry in addition to the Chief Minister, while the party affairs will be run by CPI(M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who is also from the district,” said an LDF leader here.
Mr. Jayarajan’s political activism has had its origin in his student days when he worked in the SFI and later served as the first president of the Democratic Youth Federation of India.
A native of Pappinissery, he was groomed by late M.V. Raghavan, also from the same village.
After Raghavan was ousted from the party in 1986, the party fielded him in the Azhikode constituency against the ousted leader in the by election in 1987 in which Raghavan won.
Mr. Jayarajan, now 66, was elected to the Assembly in 1991 from Azhikode and in 2011 from Mattannur from where he was re-elected now. He was district secretary of the party when he was shot at in a running train when he was returning from the party congress in April 1995.
He also served as secretary of the CPI(M) in Thrissur.
A native of Madathil near Iritty here, Ms. Shylaja has earned a reputation as a leader of the All India Democratic Women’s Association who worked for highlighting women’s issues in the State.
She also entered politics through student activism and was earlier elected to the Assembly twice – from Koothuparamba in 1996 and Peravur in 2006.
The 59-year old woman leader is popular in party circles because of her intervention in women’s issues.
Her husband K. Bhasakaran is also a party leader and now chairman of the Mattannur municipality.
