Stalin era begins in TN, Cabinet to swear-in at 9 AM on Friday

CHENNAI: DMK president MK Stalin is all set to swear-in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, along with 33 Cabinet colleagues on Friday at a formal function in Raj Bhavan. This follows the invitation extended by Governor Banwarilal Purohit, after Stalin submitted MLAs’ letter to him the previous day.

The function is to begin at 9 am. According to sources, only around 250 invitees are permitted for the swearing-in ceremony due to existing Covid restrictions. Of the invitees, each DMK MLA is given one entry pass while the ministers are given two passes.

Stalin will reach the Secretariat after assuming charge as the Chief Minister and is expected that he will sign an important announcement. Earlier on Friday, he visited veteran political leaders, N Sankariyah of CPM, R Nallakkanu of CPI, and RM Veerappan of MGR Kazhagam, and received their blessings.

Though it is the sixth government being formed by the DMK, it is the first one after Stalin took over the reins of the party, following veteran leader M Karunanidhi’s death. It is also the first majority government of the party after the 1996 elections.

The Cabinet has witnessed a perfect blend of seniors, who served as ministers in Karunanidhi’s regime, and juniors, including first-timers. Former Chennai Mayor Ma Subramanian will take over as the State Health Minister at a time the State is facing worst phase of the pandemic.

At 69, Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin is the oldest first-time Chief Minister in the history of Tamil Nadu. Be that it may, he put the five decades of political experience to good use. Over the years, Stalin has donned many roles in the State’s administrative machinery, with some of them being Deputy CM and the Opposition leader.

It is also to be noted that it is Stalin’s seventh term as an MLA. This poll victory adds another feather to his cap. Son of veteran politician M Karunanidhi, he was no stranger to politics growing up. After Karunanidhi’s demise, Stalin was unanimously elected as the president of the party on August 28, 2019.