In a minor reshuffle in the wake of the elevation of M V Govindan as CPM state secretary, the CPM has decided to make Speaker M B Rajesh a minister. CPM State Committee member and Thalassery MLA A N Shamseer, who it was speculated would be given a ministership, will be the new Speaker. State secretary Govindan is expected to immediately resign his minister post.

These decisions were taken at the CPM State Secretariat held in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. At this moment, it is not clear whether Rajesh would handle M V Govindan's portfolios of Excise and Local Self Government. There were hints that portfolios would be reshuffled, that cooperation minister VN Vasavan could be the new excise minister.

In his very short stint as Speaker, M B Rajesh had earned a reputation for fairness and efficiency. There were many instances when Rajesh had used his discretion to allow the Opposition to take up issues that had the potential to embarrass the Pinarayi ministry; the adjournment motions moved by the UDF in the Assembly are examples.

Rajesh spared none. He has reprimanded ministers for giving vague or incomplete answers to questions. He had also attempted, and succeeded to an extent, to sanitise the Question Hour, when local and issues of public interest are taken up in the Assembly, of unnecessary politics. Rajesh made sure that discussions in the Assembly did not drift into needless political mudslinging.

As Speaker, Rajesh was like a disciplinarian headmaster who was respected more than feared. He was tough but in a very sensible way, he understood the political compulsions of both sides. He would allow the Chief Minister to breach the time limit he had set but he was also generous with the Opposition Leader.

But certain rules he never allowed members to flout. For instance, after the first COVID peak had settled and the Assembly reconvened, Rajesh was adamant that members should have their masks on all the time, even while making a speech. Shamseer, who often exuded the vibe of a school boy who hated being disciplined, always had his mask down on his chin. Rajesh had to repeatedly warn Shamseer till he had no choice but to fall in line. It is now Sahmseer's turn to occupy the high pedestal.

In fact, sources said Rajesh's performance had put the CPM in a quandary. Neither could he be ignored nor his fairness could be allowed to cause political embarrassment for the ruling party in the Assembly. Offering him a plum minister post was seen as the solution, sources said.

Shamseer, on the other hand, is unabashedly a party man. He can be firm but his political fairness, a trait expected from a Speaker, is in doubt. He is one of the most raucous young CPM members employed to shout down Opposition speakers. Nonetheless, his Assembly speeches reflect thorough preparation and cogent reasoning.

Even earlier, there was slight resentment in the Kannur unit of the party that Shamseer's claims to ministership was ignored in favour of another youth leader Muhammad Riyas. There were also moments, like when PWD minister Riyas said MLAs should not bring contractors along with them to the minister's office, when the dormant Shamseer-Riyas cold war suddenly simmered to life.

Former health minister K K Shylaja's return was seen as a possibility but the party decided to stick to its earlier policy of keeping former ministers out. By including just one new minister, the CPM has also kept the door open for Saji Cherian who had to resign following his alleged anti-Constitution remark.