Overview

• Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan excused himself on health grounds while Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan notified Raj Bhavan in advance and cabinet ministers led local celebrations in their districts.
• The state was represented at the Raj Bhavan reception by Chief Secretary A. Jayathilak, State Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar and senior armed forces officers.
• Governor Rajendra Arlekar said via a Facebook post that the event included religious leaders, freedom fighters and prominent figures such as former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan and ex-Union Minister O. Rajagopal.
• The CPI(M)-led government has not issued any official comment on why its top political figures stayed away from the customary reception.
• The boycott underscores a persistent dispute over ceremonial symbols, university directives and constitutional neutrality between the state government and the Governor.