Thiruvananthapuram, May 17 (TIWN) No doubt, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has created history by becoming the first to retain power, but ahead of the beginning of his second innings, murmurs have begun, if he needs to go for a 'grand' swearing in ceremony, when the state is going through tough times, not to mention that the capital is among the four districts where the triple lockdown norms are in force till Sunday.

The swearing in will take place in a makeshift 70,000 sq feet space pandal which is fast coming up at the Central Stadium, next to the State Secretariat, on Thursday.  Each time when Vijayan is asked by the media on the expected number of people who will be invited, he says he will say about all such things at the appropriate time. However, unconfirmed reports say around 700 people are expected, given the size of the makeshift space coming up for the swearing in. 

Supreme Court counsel M.R. Abhilash said, on the one hand Vijayan advises all to stay indoors and only if there is an extreme emergency one should venture out as the triple lockdown is the need of the hour after Covid spread like wildfire in the state. 

"He says for weddings and funerals only the bare minimum people are allowed, but we all saw he himself broke the rules when he was seen at three funerals. He should be the role model and lead by example. And now we hear that his swearing in is going to be in the presence of a big gathering. Is it right, for him to do it," asked Abilash.