THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thousands witnessed the swearing-in ceremony of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government held at the Central Stadium here on Wednesday. Party supporters came in groups for the function. Many were seen carrying flags, T-shirts, umbrellas with party flags and pictures of leaders. The stadium, which could accommodate 30,000 people, was overflowing, with people occupying seats well before the ceremony at 4 pm. Even those who came 30 minutes before the ceremony had difficulty in entering the venue. When the leaders started coming one by one, the crowd cheered and raised party slogans. Pinarayi Vijayan and other MLAs to be sworn in as ministers took the front row seats on the stage.
Actor Mammootty, accompanied by actor Dileep, had come to witness the ceremony. The crowd erupted in joy when veteran CPM leader V S Achuthanandan entered the venue. He sat along with former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. Pinarayi Vijayan and others exchanged pleasantries with Achuthanandan. The chief minister finished his oath by 4.01 pm. The crowd cheered when T M Thomas Isaac, C Raveendranath, K K Shailaja, E P Jayarajan and K T Jaleel were called to the dais. The function was over in an hour and the ministers took time to meet the supporters who came for the function. Those who were at the back of the stage surged to the front to have a closer look at their leaders.