With CM and three Ministers, Ernakulam gets strong representation in Cabinet

Ernakulam district has a significant presence in the VD Satheesan-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government, which will be sworn in on Monday.

Besides Mr. Satheesan, the State Cabinet will include three Ministers from the region.

Angamaly MLA Roji M. John, Piravom legislator Anoop Jacob (Jacob) from Kerala Congress and Kalamassery representative from Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) AND Abdul Gafoor will be sworn in as Ministers in the government. The ministers’ portfolios have not yet been announced, but indications are that Mr Satheesan will oversee finance, law and ports, as well as general administration.

Of the four, Mr. Jacob, a four-time legislator, is the only one with previous ministerial experience; the remaining three entered the Cabinet for the first time.

While Mr. John bagged his third consecutive win from Angamaly this time, Mr. Gafoor won from Kalamassery after tasting defeat in his first contest in 2021.

Anoop Jacob

In his third contest, Mr. John scored a thumping win against CPI(M)’s Saju Paul with 37,008 votes.

Mr. John is the AICC secretary in-charge of Karnataka since 2022. He is also a member of the Congress’ State Political Affairs Committee. He started his political career through the Kerala Students’ Union and was elected president of SH College Thevara students’ union in 2001-02. In 2014, he was appointed national president of NSUI.

Mr Jacob, the 48-year-old chief and the only MLA of KC(J), found his way into the Cabinet for the second time after he became Civil Supplies Minister in the Oommen Chandy-led UDF government in 2011-16. He made his electoral debut in the 2012 bypoll necessitated by the death of his father, TM Jacob, who was an MLA. Mr. Anoop, a lawyer, won the last election by a huge margin of 44,681 votes against Sabu K. ​​Jacob of the Kerala Congress (M).

Mr. Gafoor emerged as a giant killer in the elections by defeating CPI(M) leader P. Rajeeve, who was Industries Minister in the previous government. He defeated Mr. Rajeeve by 16,312 votes, the second time the two faced each other in the closely watched contest. Mr. Gafoor is the son of late VK Ebrahim Kunju, an IUML veteran and Public Works Minister in the 2011-2016 UDF government.

Mr. Gafoor is the district general secretary of IUML and heads various units of the party’s unions. He has been working as a lawyer since 2000.