Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Udhayanidhi Stalin was made Deputy CM. After this he said that Deputy Chief Minister is not a post but a responsibility. Three Tamil Nadu MLAs took oath as ministers in the DMK government on Sunday afternoon as part of a cabinet reshuffle in Chief Minister MK Stalin’s team. Governor RN Ravi administered the oath to the three ministers. Newly appointed Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi attended the swearing-in ceremony with his father and Chief Minister MK Stalin. Senthil Balaji took oath as Electricity, Prohibition and Excise Minister. This is the same department he had earlier.
Apart from this, Dr. Govi Chezhiyan took oath as the Minister of Higher Education of Tamil Nadu, while R Rajendran got the Ministry of Tourism. SM Nasar took oath as the Minister of Minority Welfare and Non-Resident Tamil Welfare. He had earlier held the portfolio of Milk and Dairy Development in the Stalin cabinet from May 2021 to May 2023.
Apart from these four, K Ponmudi took over as the Minister of Forest, Environment and Climate Change. Shiva V Meyyanathan took oath as the new Minister of Backward Classes Welfare. The four ministers were sworn in a day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin recommended their names to the Governor. But in a major development, Tamil Nadu Sports Minister Udhayanidhi was appointed Deputy Chief Minister. Apart from taking charge of the Sports Ministry, Udhayanidhi was also allotted the Planning and Development Department.
In a post on Instagram, Udhayanidhi Stalin said, “Realising that ‘Deputy Chief Minister’ is not a post but a responsibility… we will work together with our fellow ministers under the guidance of Hon’ble Chief Minister on the path paved by Father Periyar (Peraringar Anna) and Muthamizharingar Kalaignar for the upliftment of the people of Tamil Nadu.”
