Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Sundararajan and CM N Rangaswamy, BJP’s A Namasivam, NR Congress’s Lakshminarayanan (II L), NR Congress (AINRC)’s Chandira Priyanga (L) and BJP’s Sai Saravanan Kumar during the oath-taking ceremony as Sangh (R) Minister of Regions in Puducherry.
Five ministers, including two BJP ministers, were inducted in the NDA cabinet led by Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Sunday, ending the suspense over cabinet formation that has been going on for more than a month. In front of the Raj Niwas, Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan administered the oath of office to A Namassivayam, K Lakshminarayanan, C Jakoumar, Chandira Priyanga and AK Sai J Saravana Kumar as ministers.
All the ministers took oath in the name of God. Chief Minister Rangasamy and others were present on the occasion.
The portfolios of the ministers were not disclosed. Lakshminarayanan, Jakoumar and Priyanga represent key allies AINRC, while Namassivayam and Saravana Kumar are from its ally BJP.
This is the first time the saffron party is part of a ministry in a union territory.
In this exercise a woman member also became a minister after a gap of 41 years, in which Chandira Priyanga took oath.
Late Congress leader Renuka Appadurai was the last woman minister of the union territory during 1980-83 and held the education portfolio in the MDR Ramachandran (DMK)-led coalition ministry.
Ending the more than a month-long suspense over cabinet formation, Chief Minister N Rangasamy on June 23 submitted to Sundararajan the list of members to be included in his ministry, which was later approved by the President.
Though the AINRC-led NDA had won the April 6 assembly elections in this union territory, the cabinet formation dragged on for a long time as the saffron party initially pushed for the deputy CM post, but later the Speaker of the Assembly. negotiated for the post.
Soon after leading his alliance to victory, AINRC founder Rangasamy was sworn in as chief minister on 7 May, but no other cabinet member took the oath.
Later, BJP’s ‘Embalam’ R Selvam was elected unopposed as the Speaker of the Puducherry Assembly on 16 June.
The oath-taking ceremony took place at 2.30 pm in front of Raj Niwas, the office cum residence of the Lieutenant Governor.
AINRC won 10 out of 16 seats and led the NDA here. The BJP won six of the nine seats it contested.
The NDA has the support of three nominated members of the BJP. There are 33 MLAs in the house including three nominated MLAs.
Read also | Union Cabinet expansion on the cards? 27 ministers in the list of probables, say sources
Read also | Rajasthan cabinet likely to be reshuffled after ‘medical advice’ to Gehlot
.