New TN government: Stalin unveils 34-member cabinet; retains home dept
MK Stalin, Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister-elect, has chosen to retain the Home portfolio; Ma Subramaniam will take over as Health Minister while Palanivel Thiagarajan will handle Finance and Human Resource
Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister-designate MK Stalin on Thursday (May 6) released details of a 34-member cabinet which is to be sworn in tomorrow morning.  The oath-taking will be held at the Raj Bhavan — a relatively small affair in keeping with the COVID crisis.
The DMK leader, who won a hard-fought election against the incumbent AIADMK government to become the eighth Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, is keeping select critical portfolios for himself. These include Home, Police, IAS, IPS and General Administration.
The new Tamil Nadu cabinet is set to host a mix of elected leaders, both veterans and youngsters. The cabinet will also include two women.
Also read: Dream may come true for Stalin, Pinarayi’s work earns him second term
Ma Subramaniam, former Chennai Mayor, is being named Minister for Medical and Family Welfare, Health, Medical Education, and Family Welfare — a key portfolio as the new government gears up to handle the second wave of COVID that has wreaked havoc on the state.
Palanivel Thiagarajan is set to take over the ministries of Finance and Human Resource Management. DMK General Secretary Duraimurugan will take charge of Water Resources.
No post for Udhayanidhi
Stalin’s son and actor-turned-politician Udhayanidhi, who won by a substantial margin from the Chepauk constituency in Chennai, has not been allotted a ministry. Udhayanidhi is the secretary of the DMK’s young wing.
PK Sekarbabu will be Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments. Â While K Ponmudi will handle Higher Education, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi will handle School Education. Senthilbalaji gets Electricity, Prohibition and Excise, and Thangam Thennarasu, Industries.
The Transport Ministry will be headed by RS Rajakannappan while Revenue and Disaster Management will be handled by KKSSR Ramachandran. KN Nehru will be Minister for Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply.
The two women ministers in the new cabinet will be P Geetha Jeevan, who has been given the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment portfolio, and N Kayalvizhi Selvaraj, who gets Adi Dravidar Welfare.
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit has approved the ministerial recommendations sent by Stalin.  The CM-designate has appealed to the state’s citizens, particularly his party cadre, to stay home and watch the function on TV.
