The new Left Democratic Front (LDF) government led by CPI(M) veteran Pinarayi Vijayan will be sworn in at an elaborate ceremony at the Central Stadium here on Wednesday (May 25) evening.

This was announced by Vijayan to newspersons after he drove down this morning to the Cantonment House, official residence of VS Achuthanandan, Leader of Opposition in the outgoing assembly.

FIRST MEETING

Vijayan's meeting with Achuthanandan, the first person-to-person interaction between the once-arch rivals in the party in more than a decade, presented observers here with major surprise.

It was described as a major initiative on the part of the Chief Minister-designate to break ice with the senior-most leader of the party who has been a chief minister himself from 2006 to 2011.

Vijayan was accompanied by Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, senior party colleague and secretary of the state unit of the CPI(M).

According to Vijayan, he had approached Achuthanandan to officially invite him to the swearing-in ceremony as well as seek his constant guidance through the formation of the government and after.

VS 'GRACEFUL'

The Chief Minister-designate later travelled to the residence of caretaker Oommen Chandy as also the office of the CPI, the second largest coalition partner in LDF, and met with its leaders.

Meanwhile, VS Achuthanandan separately met the media to express thanks to the people of the state for their patronage during the last five when he was the Leader of the Opposition.

A lot of significance was attached to this press conference coming as it did a day after Achuthanandan had to give way to Pinarayi Vijayan in the race for chief ministership.

But Achuthanandan did not give any hint of animosity between him and Vijayan, and evaded with a smile probing queries posed by newspersons on this score, before wrapping up the proceedings.

The LDF partners are expected to go into a huddle to discuss the formation of the government and the respective ministerial candidates over the next couple of days.

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