Jayalalithaa, leader of the AIADMK, called on K Rosaiah, Governor of Tamil Nadu, on Saturday evening and staked her claim to form the next Government in the State following her party’s victory in the May 16 election held to the State Assembly. She presented the Governor with the letter by the AIADMK legislature Party which on Friday elected her as the leader.
A communique by Raj Bhavan issued late evening said the Governor appointed Jayalalithaa as Chief Minister and invited her to form the council of Ministers. The swearing-in of Jayalalithaa as Chief Minister would take place at 12 noon on Monday at the Centenary Auditorium of Madras University in Chennai.
The communique also said the Chief Minister-designate submitted to the Governor, the list of persons to be appointed as Ministers with their portfolios which has been approved by the Governor. The new council of Ministers would have 29 members including the Chief Minister.
All prominent members in the outgoing Ministry except those failed in the election have made it back to the Council of Ministers. O Panneerselvam, a close confidante of the Chief Minister, has been designated as the Minister of Finance and he will be the de facto number two in the Cabinet. P Thangamani, the Minister for industry in the outgoing Government has been promoted as the Minister for power, prohibition and excise, the portfolios held by Natham R Viswanathan in the previous Government. Viswanathan was defeated in the recent Assembly election along with some of the senior Ministers.
Dindigul S Sreenivasan is the new Minister for forests, while Edappadi Palanisamy has retained the department of highways, public works and minor ports. D Jayakumar, who served as Speaker for a short while in the last Assembly has been brought back as Minister for fisheries.
V Saroja, a medical doctor, who was elected from Rasipuram, is the new Minister for social welfare and nutritious noon meal programme. R Duraikannu has been given the important portfolio of agriculture and animal husbandry. (In Tamil Nadu, the department of agriculture is considered as an important portfolio).
S Valarmathi is the Minister for backward classes and minorities welfare while V M Rajalakshmi is the Minister for Adi Dravidar and Tribal welfare. Vijayabaskar, another medical doctor, retains his portfolio of health and family welfare. There are four women in the council of Ministers including the Chief Minister.