Following Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s death, senior AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam was elected the leader of the Legislature Party shortly after Monday midnight and sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
At a solemn ceremony in the Raj Bhavan, Panneerselvam was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao. This was his third swearing-in as Chief Minister.
All 31 members of the outgoing Ministry were sworn in along with him.
As Jayalalithaa’s trusted man, Panneerselvam had stepped into her shoes for two brief periods — during 2001-02 and 2014-15 — after she was unseated by the courts.
The meeting of the Legislature Party was chaired by AIADMK presidium chairman E Madhusoothanan, who was flanked by senior leaders including Panneerselvam, Edappadi K Palaniswami, SP Velumani, Dindigul C Sreenivasan and P Thangamani.
