Puducherry will get its first woman minister in four decades with the inclusion of AINRC MLA Chandira Priyanga in the N Rangasamy-led coalition cabinet, which will be expanded on June 27. The list of cabinet members presented by the Speaker has been approved by the President. Minister Rangasamy met Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Tuesday.
According to the Puducherry Gazette notification, “The President is pleased to appoint A Namasviyam, K Lakshminarayanan, C Jakoumar, Chandira Priyanga and AK Sai J Saravana Kumar” as Ministers in the Cabinet. Lakshminarayanan, Jakoumar and Priyanga represent key allies AINRC, while Namassivayam and Saravana Kumar are from its ally BJP.
Incidentally, this is the first time the saffron party is part of a ministry in a union territory. In another first 41 years, a woman member will be inducted into the cabinet, with Priyanga to be chosen by Rangasamy, who was sworn in as chief minister on May 7.
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 more than a month’s suspense, the cabinet formation in Puducherry finally handed over the list of members to Sundararajan to include Rangasamy in his ministry on Wednesday, which has now been approved by the President.
Sundararajan will administer the oath of office and secrecy to four AINRC members and two BJP MLAs each. 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, while BJP’s ‘Embalam’ R Selvam was elected unopposed as Speaker of the Puducherry Assembly on 16 June. Oath taking ceremony will be held. Opposite the Lt Governor’s office cum residence Raj Niwas at 2.30 pm on Sunday, officials said.
Now the total number of the ministry will increase to six including the Chief Minister. AINRC won 10 out of 16 seats in the election and is leading the NDA here. The BJP had captured six of the nine seats it wanted to win.
The NDA has the support of three nominated members of the BJP. There are 33 MLAs in the house including three nominated MLAs.
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