Soon after being sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, O Panneerselvam (OPS) said the decision has brought tremendous joy to the ministers and the workers, representing the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
"The merger has brought tremendous joy to lakhs of party followers, and I share the same joy," an elated OPS told reporters here.
Earlier, OPS was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai, under the merged AIADMK government in the state, in the presence of Governor CV Rao.
He was also given the additional charge of Finance and Housing Ministry.
In what can be dubbed as a political turnaround in a state that was embroiled in a political drama till not so long ago, the two warring factions of the AIADMK - one led by Chief Minister E. Palanisamy (EPS) and the other by OPS - announced a merger, citing that "MGR always wanted to see us united, not split."
The following are the revised portfolio of the ministers:
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-O Panneerselvam and K. Pandiarajan induced into the council of Ministers
-O Panneerselvam swears in as Deputy Chief Minister
-O Panneerselvam - Minister of Finance (hitherto held by D. Jeyakumar)
-O Paneerselvam- Minister of Housing, Rural Housing and Housing Development, Slum Clearance Board and Accomodation Control, Town Planning, Urban Dvelopement and Chennai Metropoliton Development Authority (hitherto held by Udumalai K Radhakrishnan)
-K Pandiarajan- Minister for Tamil Official Language and Tamil Culture (hitherto held by Sevvoor S. Ramachandran)
-K Pandiarajan- Minister for Archeology (hitherto held by K.A. Sengottaiyan)
-Udumalai K Radhakrishnan- Minister of Animal Husbandry (hitherto held by P. Balakrishna Reddy)
-P. Balakrishna Reddy- Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development (hitherto held by K.A. Sengottaiyan)
-C. Ve. Shanmugam- Minister of Mines and Minerals (hitherto held by M.C. Sampath), in addition to subject presently held by him (Law Ministry)
The striking part of the merger is that EPS has taken a backseat in the party. While he will continue to serve as the chief minister, OPS was declared as the convenor; of the party.
However, there was no mention of jailed AIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala in the press statement.
The political drama in the state unfolded just after the verdict on the disproportionate assets case involving late J. Jayalalithaa and Sasikala was announced and the latter was sentenced to serve the remainder of her jail term.