<p>Former Kerala Assembly Speaker M B Rajesh took oath to be a state cabinet minister on Tuesday.</p>.<p>Rajesh, who was a former Lok Sabha MP of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), was inducted into the cabinet as the excise and local self governance minister M V Govindan Master resigned, and was made the CPI(M) state secretary.</p>.<p>Rajesh, who was sworn in by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, will be handling the portfolios held by Govindan.</p>.<p>CPI(M) MLA A N Shamseer will replace Rajesh as the Speaker.</p>.<p>The changes were necessitated after Kodiyeri Balakrishnan stepped down as CPI(M) state secretary post owing to illness.</p>
<p>Former Kerala Assembly Speaker M B Rajesh took oath to be a state cabinet minister on Tuesday.</p>.<p>Rajesh, who was a former Lok Sabha MP of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), was inducted into the cabinet as the excise and local self governance minister M V Govindan Master resigned, and was made the CPI(M) state secretary.</p>.<p>Rajesh, who was sworn in by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, will be handling the portfolios held by Govindan.</p>.<p>CPI(M) MLA A N Shamseer will replace Rajesh as the Speaker.</p>.<p>The changes were necessitated after Kodiyeri Balakrishnan stepped down as CPI(M) state secretary post owing to illness.</p>