Panneerselvam sworn in as Deputy CM, Pandiarajan re-inducted into TN Cabinet

Chennai: Hours after the merger of the two factions of the ruling AIADMK, three-time Chief Minister O Panneerselvam was today sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister in the Government headed by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaiswami. Tamil nadu Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao, who airdashed to the city in the afternoon from Mumbai, administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Panneerselvam, along with Ma Foi K Pandiarajan, who was also re-inducted into the Cabinet, at a brief function held at the Raj Bhavan. Both of them took the oath in Tamil and in the name of God. Chief Minister, his cabinet colleagues and others were present on the occasion. Ending the six month long split faced by the party, the two warring factions of AIADMK (PTA) led by Paneerselvam and AIADMK Amma headed by Mr Palaniswami merged, with both the leaders shaking hands and jointly addressing the cadres at the AIADMK headquarters. Mr. Panneerselvam was allotted the key portfolio of Finance, held by him earlier, along with plum portfolios of Housing, Rural Housing, Housing Development, Slum Clearance Board and Accommodation Control, Town Planning, Urban Development, and the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority held by Udumalai K Radhakrishnan.