LIVE | Senthilbalaji and three new ministers sworn into Tamil Nadu Cabinet
Senthilbalaji has retained Electricity and Prohibition & Excise portfolios while Govi Chezhiaan has been allotted Higher Education, as per an official communiqué from the Governor's office.
Clockwise from left: V Senthilbalaji, Govi Chezhiaan, R Rajendran, S M Nasar
CHENNAI: V Senthilbalaji, R Rajendran, Govi Chezhiaan and S M Nasar were sworn in as ministers by Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi in a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai on Sunday noon.
Senthilbalaji has retained Electricity and Prohibition & Excise portfolios while Govi Chezhiaan has been allotted Higher Education, as per an official communiqué from the Governor's office. Rajendran has been given the Tourism portfolio while Nasar has been made the Minister for Minorities Welfare and Non-Resident Tamils Welfare.
Udhayanidhi Stalin who was elevated as deputy CM of Tamil Nadu was present at the oath-taking ceremony.
At a photocall with the new ministers and the existing members of the Cabinet, Udhayanidhi was seen seated to the left of Governor Ravi.
Amid a growing chorus in the party for his elevation, Tamil Nadu Sports Minister and son of Chief Minister M K Stalin, Udhayanidhi (46), was elevated as the deputy CM on Saturday with additional responsibility, in a cabinet reshuffle that saw the return of V Senthilbalaji to the council of ministers two days after securing bail in a money laundering case.
(With inputs from Bureau and PTI)
Senthilbalaji has retained Electricity and Prohibition & Excise portfolios while Govi Chezhiaan has been allotted Higher Education, as per an official communiqué from the Governor's office. Rajendran has been given the Tourism portfolio while Nasar has been made the Minister for Minorities Welfare and Non-Resident Tamils Welfare.
Avadi MLA S M Nasar takes oath as minister.
Thiruvidaimarudur MLA Dr Govi Chezhiaan takes oath as minister.
V Senthilbalaji has been re-inducted as minister for the third time.
Salem North MLA R Rajendran takes oath as minister.
The swearing-in ceremony has officially begun at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai.
As part of the Cabinet reshuffle exercise on Saturday, the portfolios of many ministers were changed.
Environment Minister Siva V Meyyanathan was given the Backward Classes Welfare portfolio while Dr M Mathiventhan, who was holding the Forests portfolio, was given Adi Dravidar Welfare.
Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu has been given additional portfolio of Environment and Climate Change.
R S Rajakannappan, holding Backward Classes Welfare portfolio, is Milk and Dairy Development and Khadi minister.
Three ministers were dropped --- T Mano Thangaraj who held the Milk and Dairy Development portfolio, Minorities Welfare Minister Gingee S Masthan and K Ramachandran (Tourism).
A Dalit chief minister might be a distant reality in the current political scenario in Tamil Nadu, but the State is most likely to see a Dalit become its Higher Education Minister in less than a day. Highly placed DMK sources disclosed to DT Next that Chief Minister Stalin has picked three-time MLA Dr Govi Chezhian, representing Thiruvidaimaruthur reserve constituency in Thanjavur district, for the coveted Higher Education portfolio.
Chezhian, who is currently the Chief Government Whip, would step into the shoes of K Ponmudy, a veteran who has been stripped of the Higher Education portfolio and allotted a relatively insignificant Forest portfolio on Saturday by Stalin.
Sources confided to this newspaper that debutant minister R Rajendran, one of the DMK secretaries of Salem district and lone MLA from the native district of Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami, would be allotted Tourism portfolio, replacing K Ramachandran who has been dropped from the cabinet.
‘Avadi’ SM Nasar would likely be allotted Minorities Welfare portfolio, replacing ‘Gingee’ KS Masthan who has been shown the door by the DMK leadership. Nasar was dropped as Milk and Dairy Development minister in an earlier cabinet reshuffle.
Additionally, sources privy to the portfolio discussions in the DMK revealed that Senthilbalaji would retain the Electricity portfolio he held prior to ‘quitting’ the cabinet following his arrest in June last year.
They also added that ‘Avadi’ SM Nasar would likely be allotted Minorities Welfare portfolio, replacing ‘Gingee’ KS Masthan who has been shown the door by the DMK leadership.
Another speculation that was proven right was Senthilbalaji's return. On Thursday, he walked out of jail after the Supreme Court granted him bail in a money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate, ending his 471-day incarceration. The agency had arrested him on June 14, 2023. He was then Minister for Electricity and also held the Excise and Prohibition portfolio.
Besides Balaji, Dr Govi Chezhiaan, R Rajendran and S M Nasar have been inducted in the cabinet.
READ HERE: Why controversial yet aspirational face, Senthilbalaji gets reception from DMK