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All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader O Panneerselvam was sworn in as the new chief minister of Tamil Nadu on Monday, following the disqualification of his predecessor J Jayalalithaa. Along with him, 30 ministers, many of them from the Jayalalithaa government, were also sworn in.
Panneerselvam, 63, was elected leader of the AIADMK’s legislature party on Sunday by party MLAs. This is his second stint as chief minister. Panneerselvam has retained his earlier portfolio of finance along with home affairs, which was under Jayalalithaa.
Other prominent AIADMK members who have joined the ministry are Natham R Viswanathan (minister for electricity and prohibition), R Vaithilingam (housing and urban development), P Thangamani (industries) and V Senthil Balaji (transport), among others.
Panneerselvam, representing Bodinayakanur constituency, is a farmer from Theni district. He is a staunch Jayalalithaa loyalist and maintains a low profile. Panneerselvam had become chief minister in 2001 for a brief period when Jayalalithaa was forced to resign after a Supreme Court order.
He entered politics in 1996 and became the head of a local body. In 2001, he was elected to the Assembly from Periakulam and became the minister for public works. He was the first person from the Thevar community to become the chief minister of Tamil Nadu and was also leader of the opposition when AIADMK lost power in 2006.
He had met Jayalalithaa at the Bangalore central jail earlier on Sunday to discuss the portfolio allocation.
The court on Saturday had sentenced Jayalalithaa to four years in jail and fined her Rs 100 crore.
Teary-eyed lawmakers
Tears were rolling down on Panneerselvam’s cheeks and his voice choked when he was swearing in. Similarly, many legislators had a tough time fighting back tears. Vaithilingam, Natham Viswanathan, B Valarmathi and others were in tears.
