Thiruvananthapuram: With Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan set to travel to the US for treatment this month, MV Govindan is likely to be the caretaker CM.

Even though a government order announcing the chief minister's US trip from January 15 to 29 has not named a caretaker, it is understood that as the seniormost CPM man in the Pinarayi cabinet, after the CM himself, the veteran legislator from Kannur will automatically assign the charge.

In September 2018, before his US visit for treatment, the chief minister had deputised then Industries Minister EP Jayarajan to handle the donations to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund in the aftermath of the floods.

Prior to that, in July, AK Balan had acted as the caretaker when Pinarayi went on a 13-day visit to the US for treatment.

Pinarayi will undergo a medical check-up at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He will be accompanied by his wife T Kamala and personal assistant VM Suneesh.