New Delhi: Former Kerala Health Minister K K Shailaja on Tuesday got a rude shock, after the speculation in political circles that she will be the only outgoing Minister who would get another term in the Kerala cabinet, when it became clear that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has got the green signal to go for a new team. In the crucial State Committee meeting of the CPI-M held here on Tuesday, she saw just seven seeking a second term for her, with the remaining almost 70 giving Vijayan the freedom to go for a new team.

Emerging from the party meeting Shailaja was quiet for a while but finally broke her silence and said there is no need for anyone to get emotional about this. “It was the CPI-M which made me a Minister and all what I did during the five-year period is not my merit. It was because of the excellent team work. Also it’s not me alone who has been left out. None of my party colleagues who were Ministers has been selected this time. I am sure the new person will be able to perform better than me,” said Shailaja before bidding good bye to the media here.

Here’s what KK Shaila said on exclusion from the new Kerala cabinet:

Shailaja’s name was being considered certain after she won with the highest recorded margin of victory in the state from the Mattannur assembly seat in her home town Kannur with over 60,000 votes.

Shailaja, however, denied any disappointment at being kept out of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s new cabinet, saying it was a “policy decision” of the party that she accepted. After a historic win in the recent Kerala election, the CPM has decided to drop all previous ministers, including KK Shailaja or ‘Shailaja Teacher’, as she is fondly known, who won global recognition for her work in Covid management. The new cabinet will have mostly first-time ministers, the Chief Minister being the exception. Shailaja will be party Whip.

(With inputs from agencies)