Meet The New Women Ministers in Pinarayi Cabinet

Women Ministers in Pinarayi Cabinet: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has dropped the entire team of previous ministers. The Kerala Cabinet is now seeing new faces which include three women ministers.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has revealed that there will be a new set of ministers for the new Kerala cabinet after winning the election. No ministers from the previous team except the Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan are seen in the new team. It has been confirmed that KK Shailaja, the Health Minister of the state in the previous team will also be replaced. Often referred to as ‘Shailaja teacher’, many people have expressed their sadness over the replacement of the minister.

The new women ministers in Pinarayi Cabinet are J. Chinchu Rani, Dr. R Bindu, and Veena George.

Chinchu Rani

J Chinchu Rani is the second woman minister from CPI after K R Gowri who was a part of the 1957 cabinet. She will be handling Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development. Chinchu Rani began her public life from her association with Balavedi, a children’s organisation of KSSP and All India Students Federation (AISF). Her husband, D Sukesan is also a local leader of CPI in Kollam.

Dr. R Bindu

Dr. R Bindu is one of the highest educated ministers among the newly appointed team. She was the very first woman mayor of Thrissur Municipal Corporation and is a central committee member of the All India Democratic Women’s Association. Dr. Bindu is the new Higher Education Minister.

Dr. Bindu is the wife of CPM state secretary K Vijayaraghavan. The 54-year-old has a Ph.D. in English and was the head of the English department and vice-principal of Thrissur Kerala Varma College.

Veena George

Veena George is the first journalist-turned-politician who is appointed to be a Minister. George quit her job as a journalist to stand for the election of Aranmula in 2016 and now she is to replace KK Shailaja as the Health Minister. George’s leadership qualities were evident during the 2018 flood in Kerala that badly affected areas like Pathanamthitta. The replacement of Shailaja in the team has sparked mixed feelings even for the party supporters and has put Veena George in the limelight.