Of the 140 newly-elected MLAs in Kerala, 87 of them have a college degree, according to the data obtained from the affidavits. This includes 69 graduates, 14 postgraduates and 4 PhD holders. The most educated MLAs in the state are Dr R Bindu, Dr K T Jaleel, Dr Mathew Kuzhalnadan and Dr N Jayaraj, who represent Irinjalakkuda, Thavanur, Muvattupuzha and Kanjirappally respectively. Roji M John, the MLA from Angamali holds an MPhil and a PG degree.
The previous Kerala assembly had 82 college degree holders, which included two PhD holders, Dr T M Thomas Issac and Dr K T Jaleel. At the same time, 93.5 per cent of the new MLAs have passed class X. This is a 6.5 per cent increase from that of the last assembly. This time, nine MLAs haven't passed Class X.
Almost half the population of the assembly (67 out of 140) are social workers. Twenty-five MLAs are lawyers. There are four teachers, eight business owners and 11 farmers. At the same time, there are two journalists. Kalliasseri MLA M Vijin is a student. Pathanapuram MLA K B Ganesh Kumar and Kollam MLA M Mukesh are both actors.
The youngest candidate in the current assembly is Sachin Dev, the MLA from Balusseri. A lawyer, he is the SFI Kerala State Secretary. The second youngest MLA is Linto Joseph, who represents Thiruvambady. The oldest MLA is P J Joseph, the MLA from Thodupuzha. Pinarayi Vijayan and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, are both 77 years old. This time, only five MLAs are aged below 35, while 16 MLAs are aged above 70. The average age of the assembly is 55.8.
Antony John, the MLA from Kothamangalam has the most number of criminal cases against him — 38. Fourteen MLAs have more than 10 criminal cases against them. As many as 40 MLAs do not have any cases against them.
The Communist Party of India (CPM)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) won the state's assembly election, which was held on April 6. This will be the front's second consecutive term. The incumbent Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is likely to be sworn in after May 20 as the Chief Minister for another five years. Commenting on the win, Vijayan said, "The verdict shows the trust that the people have in the LDF government. There is a feeling among the people that the government led by LDF can protect their interests and fight for them."
