Ministers in the reshuffled Cabinet of the Tamil Nadu government were sworn in on Sunday, September 29 at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai. The reshuffle has brought some striking changes. Apart from Udhayanidhi Stalin’s elevation to Deputy Chief Minister, the portfolio of senior-most minister K Ponmudi has been changed and Thangam Thenarasu, who was earlier handling the Electricity, Non-conventional Energy, Prohibition and Excise Departments on behalf of Senthil Balaji, has been handed a new portfolio.
The Cabinet now has four Dalit ministers including Dr Govi Chezhiaan, who is taking over as the Minister for Higher Education from Ponmudi.
Senthil Balaji, who was till recently in jail, has been given his old portfolios. Arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the cash-for-jobs scam, he was released on bail on September 26 after 14 months of incarceration.
Ponmudi will be taking over as Minister of the Forest Department. Thangam Thenarasu will be taking over Environment, Pollution Control Board and Climate Change in addition to the Finance portfolio.
Along with Senthil and Govi Chezhiaan, R Rajendran and SM Nasar were also sworn in. Rajendran has been given the Tourism and Sugar, Sugarcane Excise and Sugarcane Development portfolios. Nasar has been given the Minority and Non-Resident Tamil Welfare Ministry.
Kayalvizhi Selvaraj has been moved from the Adi Dravidar & Tribal Welfare Department to the Human Resources and Ex-Servicemen Welfare Department. Instead, M Maniventhan will be taking over as Minister for Adi Dravidar & Tribal Welfare. Siva V Meyyanathan has been made Minister for Backward Classes instead of Minister for Environment and Climate Change.
S Rajakannappan has been made Minister for Milk and Dairy Development and Khadi from his previous posting as Minister for Backward Classes.
Gingee Masthan, Mano Thangaraj, and K Ramachandran have been dropped from the Council of Ministers.
Read: How popular support and family legacy shaped Udhayanidhi Stalin