42 MLAs skip oath in God’s name during Kerala assembly swearing-in ceremony

Key points

• (With agency inputs) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The swearing-in ceremony of members of the 16th Kerala Legislative Assembly on Thursday turned into more than just a constitutional formality, reflecting the state’s diversity, simplicity and distinct political culture.Legislators not only chose different languages for taking oath but also differed in whether they swore in the name of God or made a solemn affirmation.A total of 42 MLAs opted for solemn affirmation, including all legislators from the CPI(M) and CPI.
• Congress MLAs V T Balram and Sumesh Achuthan, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leaders Shibu Baby John and Vishnu Mohan, and Revolutionary Marxist Party of India (RMP) MLA K K Rema also chose the same route.They were joined by Govindan, Kunhikrishnan and Communist Marxist Party Kerala State Committee (CMP KSC) legislator C P John.The remaining MLAs, including the three BJP legislators and one MLA from the LDF ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), took oath in the...