Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Sunday allotted portfolios to his ministers with BJP bagging plum portfolios like home, electricity, and education.
The Chief Minister has kept the crucial Health and Family Welfare portfolio with himself as the Union Territory (UT) continues to fight against the second wave of Covid-19 infections.
Rangasamy submitted the list of portfolios to Lt. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Sunday morning and the list was released by Chief Secretary Ashwani Kumar in the evening.
Though five ministers, including two from the BJP, were sworn in on June 27, the differences between Rangasamy and the saffron party on the allocation of portfolios delayed the exercise.
Rangasamy will handle Revenue and Excise, Health and Family Welfare, Hindu Religious institutions, Science and Technology, Local Administration, and Information and Publicity among other portfolios. The no. 2 in the cabinet, Namassivayam, will handle Home, Electricity, Industries and Commerce, Education, Sports and Youth Affairs, and Sainik welfare.
While K Lakshminarayanan will be the new Public Works Minister, agriculture has been allotted to C Djeacoumar, Transport and Housing to Chandriga Priyanga, the first woman minister in 40 years.
Another BJP minister, A K Sai J Saravanan Kumar, will handle Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Urban Basic Services, Fire Services, and Minority Affairs.
Namassivayam is a former Congress leader who quit the V Narayanaswamy government at the fag end of its tenure ensuring its fall just days before the assembly elections were announced.
The BJP, after winning six seats, attempted at forming its first government in Puducherry by asking its senior ally N R Congress to support Namassivayam’s candidature but Rangasamy refused to do. The persisting differences between the two parties delayed the cabinet formation for over 50 days.
Though Rangasamy was sworn in as the Chief Minister on May 7, he expanded his cabinet only on June 27.