The swearing-in ceremony of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala is slated for May 20 with a maximum of 500 people in attendance. Governor Arif Mohammed Khan will administer the oath.

On Monday, the CM said that the ceremony will be held at 3.30 pm at the Central Stadium in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram. Being an open space, the stadium was selected. "Five hundred is not a huge number for such a function. Usually, the oath-taking ceremony has to be conducted amid the celebration of the people who have elected their government. However, unfortunately in the backdrop of the Covid pandemic, it is not possible now. Hence we have decided to hold the ceremony in a limited way," he said.

The CM said that the COVID protocols will be strictly followed at the venue which has a seating capacity of 50,000. Well, the CM's decision has opened to mixed responses from the people. From celebs to the public, several people suggested that the ceremony be held virtually.

Actress Parvathy Thiruvothu, who always voices her opinion boldly, took to her social media handle and criticized the decision of the government. "There is no doubt that the state government has done incredible work and continues to do so to aid the frontline workers & help battle this pandemic is a very responsible way. Which is why it is shocking and unacceptable," tweeted Parvathy.

She further pointed out, "that a crowd of 500 is deemed “not that much” by the @CMOKerala for the swearing-in ceremony on 20th. Given that the cases are still on the rise and we are nowhere near a finish line, it is an extremely wrong move especially when there is an opportunity to set".

The actress also suggested "an example by holding a virtual ceremony instead! I request the @CMOKerala to please consider this request and cancel such a public gathering. A virtual swearing-in ceremony, please!"

Meanwhile, the attendees' numbers are fixed after taking into consideration all who cannot be excluded. Entry to the venue will be limited only to persons having RTPCR/TRUNAT/RT LAMP negative results obtained within 48 hours. It may be remembered that in 2016, over 40,000 people had attended the oath-taking ceremony of the first Pinarayi Vijayan government.