new delhi k k shialaja who won international accolades as keralas health minister for her deft handling of the coronavirus pandemic in the state has failed to find a berth in pinarayi vijayans new cabinetthe outgoing minister who won her seat in the just concluded assembly elections by a record margin of over 60000 votes even greater than the chief minister was a surprise ommissionreferred to as rockstar health minister for her handling of the first covid wave and earlier during the nipah outbreak it was widely expected that shailaja would be an exception to the partys stated rule of replacing all old ministershowever that was not to be as in the crucial state committee meeting of the cpm overwhelming majority of the members gave vijayan a free hand to consitute a new cabinethowever shailaja said she was not disappointed at being denied berth in the new cabinetthere is no need to be emotional i became the minister earlier because of the partys decision i have absolute satisfaction in what i have done i am confident that the new team can perform better than me she saidnot the individual but the system is showcasing the fight against the pandemic i am happy that i could lead the team she addedhowever social media users responded sharply to the omission of the 64yearold leader popularly known as shailaja teacher or teacher amma among her admirersthey pointed out that it would not be good to change the minister as kerala was witnessing an unprecedented surge in coronavirus casesthere were many who put up her photos as their whatsapp status in an apparent act of extending solidarity with hersome compared shailaja being dropped from the cabinet with the manner in which late gowri amma was allegedly denied chief ministership in the last minute in 1987politburo member m a baby defended the party decision and said the people voted in the state for the left governmentthe decision was unanimous that there can be a new team and just look ministers like m m mani and four others like shailaja were not renominated so it was a decision which was implemented just look five seasoned veteran ministers were not given a seat i am optimistic that just like the people in kerala accepted dropping so many sitting legislators they will accept this decision also said babythe state committee of the party has nominated 11 freshers including two women as its ministers in the new government which would be sworn in on may 20 at the central stadium here in adherence to covid19 protocolvijayan had scripted history in the april 6 assembly polls by leading the ruling left front to a consecutive term bucking the over fourdecadeold trend in the state of the people choosing between the communists and congressled governments alternativelywith inputs from agencieswatch kerala kk shailaja dropped from the new vijayan cabinet