New pecking order in DMK, regime as Udhayanidhi Stalin rises to No.2

CHENNAI: He did not have to take oath along with others, as it is the Chief Minister’s prerogative to appoint an MLA as the Deputy Chief Minister. However, if the attention on Saturday was on the re-induction of V Senthilbalaji and the speculation was on the portfolios he would be allocated, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin took the centrestage on Sunday, quite literally.

If there were any doubts on the new hierarchy, they were dispelled after the swearing-in and oath-taking when the Cabinet members assembled to take the customary photograph with Governor RN Ravi. To the Governor’s right was Chief Minister MK Stalin. To his left was Udhayanidhi, the newly anointed number two in the Cabinet.

Also read: TN Cabinet reshuffle: Senthilbalaji retains EB and TASMAC, Govi Chezhiaan gets higher education

Going by protocol, Udhayanidhi was earlier ranked 10th in the pecking order of Cabinet Ministers, behind party veterans who have been part of several regimes. On Sunday, seniors like Duraimurugan, KN Nehru, I Periyasamy, and K Ponmudy were seated in the front row but a step away from Stalin and Udhayanidhi on either side.

Earlier, the swearing-in ceremony to induct four members to the State Cabinet was headlined by the return of high-profile DMK leader V Senthilbalaji, who was granted bail by the Supreme Court in a money laundering case only days ago.

Governor Ravi, who had “ousted” the 48-year-old Karur strongman only to backtrack after legal advice, administered oath to Senthilbalaji. He has been assigned the same key portfolio of Electricity, and Prohibition and Excise, which he held previously in Chief Minister Stalin’s cabinet.

The other three DMK legislators who took the oath of office at the function held at the Raj Bhavan were Govi Chezhiaan, the new Higher Education Minister; R Rajendran, Tourism; and SM Nasar, Minorities Welfare, Non-Resident Tamils Welfare.

Ministers, alliance party leaders, senior bureaucrats, senior DMK leaders, and members of Chief Minister Stalin’s family were present at the Durbar Hall in Raj Bhavan. DMK deputy general secretary K Ponmudy, who was stripped of the Higher Education portfolio and allocated a relatively insignificant Forests portfolio, and DMK parliamentary party leader TR Baalu were also present.

Also, leaders of DMK's alliance parties, including VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan and MDMK general secretary Vaiko attended the event.

IT Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan was absent at the swearing-in ceremony owing to the reported illness of a member of his family, which, sources said, was communicated by the minister from Madurai to the Chief Minister over the phone.

K Ramachandran, who was dropped from the Cabinet a day earlier, was on Sunday named as Chief Government Whip. He was previously the Tourism Minister.