Jayalalithaa meets TN governor, stakes claim; swearing-in on May 23

Chennai, May 21  AIADMK general secretary and Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Saturday met Governor K. Rosaiah and formally staked claim to form the next government in the state.

She will be sworn in as chief minister for a second term at noon on May 23 at the Madras University Centenary Auditorium here.

An official statement issued by the governor's principal secretary said Jayalalithaa met Rosaiah at the Raj Bhavan here and gave him a copy of the resolution passed by the party's newly elected legislators electing her as AIADMK legislative party leader.

As Rosaiah invited her to form the next government, Jayalalithaa gave him a list of 29 legislators who can be appointed as ministers in the state cabinet.

The proposed ministers and their portfolios are:

J. Jayalalithaa, Chief Minister, (portfolios of public, IAS, IPS, Indian Forest Service, general administration, district revenue officers, police and home).

O. Panneerselvam, minister for finance; Dindugal C. Srinivasan, minister for forests; Edapaddi K. Palaniswami, minister for public works, highways and minor ports; Sellur K. Raju, minister for cooperation and labour; P. Thangamani, minister for electricity, prohibition and excise; S.P. Velumani, minister for municipal administration, rural development and implementation of special programmes; and D. Jayakumar, minister for fisheries.

Others are C.Ve. Shanmugam, minister for law, courts and prisons; K.P. Anbazhagan, minister for higher education; V. Saroja, minister for social welfare; K.C. Karuppannan, minister for environment; M.C. Sampath, minister for industries; R. Kamaraj, minister for food, civil supplies and Hindu religions and charitable endowments; and O.S. Manian, minister for handlooms and textiles; 

The list includes Udumalai Radhakrishnan, minister for housing and urban development; C. Vijaya Baskar, minister for health and family welfare; S.P. Shanmuganathan, minister for milk and dairy development; R. Duraikannu, minister for agriculture and animal husbandry; K. Kadambur Raju, minister for information and publicity; R.B. Udhayakumar, minister for revenue; and K.T. Rajenthra Balaji, minister for rural industries.

Others on the list are K.C. Veeramani, minister for commercial taxes; P. Benjamin, minister for school education, sports and youth welfare; Vellamandi N. Natarajan, minister for tourism; S. Valarmathi, minister for backward classes and minorities welfare; V.M. Rajalakshmi, minister for adi dravider and tribal welfare; M. Manikandan, minister for information technology; and M.R. Vijayabaskar, minister for transport.