MB Rajesh – Third person to become minister while serving as speaker

MB Rajesh is the third person to become a minister while serving as Speaker of the Kerala Assembly

Thiruvananthapuram: MB Rajesh is the third person to become a minister while serving as Speaker of the Kerala Assembly. PP Thankachan and Vakkom Purushothaman are the others who have received invitations to the cabinet in a similar way.

In 1991, Thankachan, who served as the Speaker during the K Karunakaran ministry, assumed office as the Minister for Agriculture when AK Antony took took over as the Chief Minister. Vakkom Purushothaman too assumed office as the Minister for Finance when there was a change in the chief ministerial post. Vakkom was serving as the Speaker when Antony was the chief minister in 2004. When Antony resigned and Oommen Chandy took over, he he was bumped to the cabinet.

Vakkom Purushothaman and Therambil Ramakrishnan are the only two people to serve the Speaker post twice