Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa meets governor to stake claim

AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa will be sworn in as chief minister for a record sixth time on Monday (May 23) at the head of a 28-member Cabinet which has an equal mix of experienced and new comers. O. Panneerselvam will continue to hold the finance portfolio in the new government too.

Ms Jayalalithaa, who was elected as leader of the AIADMK Legislature Party on Friday evening, met governor K. Rosaiah on Saturday and staked her claim to form government by handing over the letter of her election as well as the list of ministers.

She and her Cabinet colleagues will take oath Monday noon at Centenary Auditorium of Madras University. While retaining 13 ministers of the outgoing cabinet, the CM also brought in party veteran Dindigul C. Srinivasan by making him forests minister. Allotting fisheries to D. Jayakumar, who had served as minister and Speaker of the Assembly in her previous governments and giving handlooms and textiles to another old-timer and former Rajya Sabha MP O.S. Manian.

Ms Jayalalithaa will retain public, IAS, IPS, IFS, general administration, district revenue officers, police and home departments with her and inducted Udumalai Radhakrishnan, who was chairman of Arasu Cable TV corporation, into the Cabinet and allotted housing and urban development to him. Including the chief minister, the Cabinet has four women. There are two doctors.

Former minister C. Ve. Shanmugam has been allotted law, courts and prisons, Edappadi K. Palaniswami (public works, highways mnd Minor ports), Sellur K. Raju (cooperation and labour), P. Thangamani (electricity,prohibition and excise) and C. Vijaya Baskar (health and family welfare).

Among the new comers, notables are deputy mayor of Chennai P. Benjamin (school education and sports and youth welfare), Srirangam MLA S. Valarmathi, (backward classes and minorities welfare), M. R. Vijayabaskar (transport), V. M. Rajalakshmi (Adi Dravidar and tribal welfare), M. Manikandan (information technology) and Kadambur Raju (information and publicity).

S. P. Velumani has been given municipal administration, rural development and Implementation of special programme, K.P Anbazhagan, higher education, V. Saroja, social welfare, nutritious noon-meal programme, K.T. Rajenthra Bhalaji, rural industries and K. C. Veeramani commercial taxes.

Among others who have been made ministers are K. C. Karupannan (environment), M. C. Sampath (industries), R. Kamaraj (food, civil supplies and HR&CE), S. P. Shanmuganathan - milk and dairy development, R. Duraikannu (agriculture and animal gusbandry), R.B. Udayakumar (revenue) and Vellamandi N. Natarajan (tourism).

Though the cabinet can have a maximum of 32 members, there are only 29 ministers now.