Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 28 After several months of perseverance, NCP-SP’s Kerala legislator Thomas K. Thomas has succeded in convincing the party leadership to let him replace senior party colleague A.K. Saseendran as the state's new Forest Minister.
NCP-SP's Kerala chief P.C. Chacko made the official announcement to the media after the decision was cleared by the party's national President Shard Pawar.
"Thomas, Saseendran and I will now meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to convey the decision taken by our national president,": he said.
The meeting is expected to take place here next Thursday.
Incidentally early this month, the NCP-SP supremo Pawar called the three top leaders and the issue was settled.
In Kerala, the NCP-SP is part of the ruling CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front and has two legislators - Saseendran and Thomas.
Since November last year, affairs in the party's Kerala unit have been turbulent after Thomas put his foot down, demanding the earlier decided formula where Saseendran will step down after two and half years and Thomas will take over as minister. But while two other LDF constituents who have just one legislator made way for two other parties having just one legislator, Saseendran did not make way for Thomas.
Until recently Chacko and Saseendran had the best of relations but when they grew distanced, the chances of Thomas brightened, even when Saseendran feigned ignorance of any understanding for his making way for Thomas. However, the decision was taken after the three were called to meet Pawar.
Thomas is the brother of late former state minister Thomas Chandy who passed away in 2019. Chandy was an NRI businessman-turned-legislator and because he was busy with his business interests in Kuwait, it was Thomas who was always looking after the Kuttanadu Assembly constituency in Alappuzha district. The NCP did not have to look elsewhere for the 2021 Assembly polls and on expected lines, Thomas won the seat. However, when Vijayan constituted the Cabinet in 2021, the NCP decided to stick with outgoing Minister Saseendran for another turn.
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