Daijiworld Media Network – Puducherry

Puducherry, May 13: N Rangasamy was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Puducherry for a record fifth term at Lok Nivas on Wednesday.

Rangasamy will lead a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the Union Territory for the second consecutive term. The alliance comprises the All-India N R Congress (AINRC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), AIADMK, and Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi.

Lieutenant Governor K Kailashnathan administered the oath of office to Rangasamy during the ceremony held at Lok Nivas.

Along with the Chief Minister, BJP MLA A Namassivayam and AINRC MLA Malladi Krishna Rao were also sworn in as ministers.

Before the oath-taking ceremony, the Chief Secretary read out the Central government notification appointing Rangasamy as Chief Minister and naming Namassivayam and Malladi Krishna Rao as ministers in the new Cabinet.

Officials said the remaining three ministers in the six-member Cabinet will be inducted at a later stage.

Following the ceremony, the Lieutenant Governor and Chief Secretary Sharath Chauhan felicitated the Chief Minister and newly sworn-in ministers.

Several senior BJP leaders and political personalities attended the event, including BJP national president Nitin Nabin, BJP national secretary B L Santhosh, BJP Puducherry in-charge Nirmal Kumar Surana, BJP state president V P Ramalingam, DMK convenor R Siva, and former Speaker R Selvam.

The AINRC currently holds 12 MLAs in the Assembly, while the BJP has four MLAs. The AIADMK and Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi have one MLA each, enabling the NDA to retain power in the Union Territory.