Legislature party leader of All India N.R. Congress N Rangasamy is likely to be sworn in the eighteenth Chief Minister of the Union Territory on Monday.
Shortly after being elected as the leader of the party in the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Rangasamy along with other legislators, met Lieutenant Governor Iqbal Singh and staked claim to form the government.
Sources in the Raj Nivas told The Hindu that Mr. Singh forwarded the letter to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for its Presidential assent.
Earlier in the day, newly elected members belonging to AINRC met at a hotel and elected Mr. Rangasamy as the leader of the party in the Assembly. They were joined by V. M. C Sivakumar, who contested as an Independent from T. R Pattinam at Karaikal after he was denied ticket by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and extended support to the Rangasamy-led government.
Talking to reporters outside Raj Nivas, Mr. Rangasamy said a letter of support given by the Independent member was handed over to the Lieutenant Governor. To a query whether the ally All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam would be part of the Ministry, he said, “It will be a government headed by AINRC with the outside support of AIADMK.” He expressed his gratitude to AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa for her party's support in the elections.
Stating that his mission would be to see the overall development of the Union Territory, he said all welfare schemes started during his stint as Chief Minister from 2006-08 would be carried forward. “We would strive to make the Union Territory hut free and address the basic necessities of marginalised sections of society,” he added.
Third term
Mr. Rangasamy's entry and rise in UT politics was sudden and one of envy to his detractors. Sixty-year-old Rangasamy, a bachelor who has a law degree to his credit, first became a Member in the Legislative Assembly in 1991 and went on to become a Minister in the Congress government headed by V. Vaithilingam.
