Tamil Nadu CM-elect Stalin gets home portfolio as DMK issues list of 34 ministers
DMK chief MK Stalin will be sworn-in as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu in a simple ceremony at the Raj Bhavan on Friday.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which swept to power in Tamil Nadu by winning the recently held assembly elections in the southern state, on Thursday released a list of 34 ministers, a day before the swearing-in of the new government is scheduled to take place.
According to a list released by the DMK, party president MK Stalin, who will take oath as the eighth chief minister of Tamil Nadu on Friday, will hold several key portfolios, including the crucial home department. Stalin's other portfolios include welfare of specially-abled persons, public, general administration, and appointment and transfer of IAS and IPS officials in the state.
However, Stalin's son Udhayanidhi, who became a first-time MLA, did not figure in the list released by the party, which is headed by his father.
According to the list, Ma Subramanian will be the new state health minister, while Duraimurugan will be the minister for water resources and KN Nehru will hold municipal administration. Palanivel Thiagarajan has been allotted the finance department while EVL Velu has been given the public works portfolio. K Ponmudi will be the in-charge of the higher education ministry and Geetha Jeevan will look after the social welfare and women empowerment ministry. PK Sekar Babu and Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi will handle Hindu religious and charitable endowments and school education, respectively.
Under Stalin, the DMK-led alliance won 159 of Tamil Nadu's 234 assembly constituencies, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI) website. The DMK on its own won 133 seats, well above the majority mark of 118. All 234 constituencies voted in a single phase on April 6, while the counting of votes for all the seats took place on May 2.
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On Wednesday, Stalin called on governor Banwarilal Purohit, staking claim to form the government. Later in the day, the governor appointed Stalin as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. The swearing-in ceremony will take place at the Raj Bhavan at 9am and will be a simple affair due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.