Chennai: AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa will be sworn in for the fifth time as Tamil Nadu chief minister tomorrow along with 28 ministers, nearly eight months after she was forced to quit over corruption charges.
On a day of fast paced developments, 67-year-old Jayalalithaa was elected as legislature party leader at a meeting of party MLAs here, 11 days after she was acquitted by the Karnataka High Court in a disproportionate assets case.
The swearing-in ceremony will take place at 11 am at the Madras University Centenary Auditorium. As many as 28 others will be sworn in as Ministers along with her.
Jayalalithaa has retained old faces when she was chief minister during 2011-14. This includes her trusted aide O Panneerselvam as Minister of Finance, Natham R Viswanathan as Electricity Minister and R Vaithilingam as Housing Minister, Edappadi K Palaniswami and P Mohan.
The three held the same portfolios in the outgoing Panneerselvam cabinet.
Barring three, including MSM Anandan who was the Forest Minister in Panneerselvam Cabinet, all others figure in the official list of Ministers released by Raj Bhavan.
P Chendur Pandian, who is ill and designated Minister without portfolio in the Panneerselvam Cabinet, and Agri Krishnamurthy who was arrested over the suicide of an official are the two others who have been omitted.
Including Jayalalithaa, who will hold the portfolios of home, police, public, all India services, general administration and district revenue officers, a total of 29 will be sworn in tomorrow by Governor K Rosaiah.
“The Governor has today approved the recommendation made by Selvi J Jayalalithaa, Chief Minister-Designate regarding allocation of portfolios among the Council of Ministers,” an official Raj Bhavan release said here.
“The swearing-in ceremony will be held on May 23 at 11 am at Madras University Centenary Auditorium,” it added.
Edappadi K Palaniswami who was Minister for Highways and Minor Ports in the outgoing Cabinet will now also hold the portfolio of Forest previously held by Anandan. (PTI)