Thiruvananthapuram: Leader of Janata Dal Secular (JD-S) K Krishnankutty was Tuesday sworn in as the new Water Resources Minister of Kerala.
State Governor P Sathasivam administered the oath of office and secrecy to Krishnankutty, Chittur MLA, who replaced Mathew T Thomas, a senior JD (S) leader in the cabinet.
The JD(S) national leadership had during its meeting in Bengaluru last week decided to replace Thomas with Krishnankutty. The opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) boycotted the swearing-in ceremony as part of its decision to intensify the agitation against the government on the Sabarimala issue.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his cabinet ministers were present at the brief ceremony. The JD(S), headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, has three MLAs in the Kerala Assembly.