Six months after a reshuffle in the Cabinet, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday dropped Revenue Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan and appointed Thoppu N.D. Venkatachalam, representing the Perundurai constituency, in his place.
The swearing-in will be held on Thursday.
Mr. Sengottaiyan has also been removed from the post of party headquarters secretary.
A press release from the Raj Bhavan said Mr. Venkatachalam has been allocated the portfolios of Revenue, District Revenue Establishment, Deputy Collectors, Weights and Measures, Debt Relief, including legislation of money lending, chits and registration of companies.
In the last reshuffle held in January, Mr. Sengottaiyan, ranked third in the order of seniority of Ministers, was given the Revenue portfolio. When the AIADMK government assumed office, he was given Agriculture.
In November 2011, when the first major reshuffle was effected, he was made Minister of Information Technology.
Ms. Jayalalithaa has so far dropped 10 Ministers from her Cabinet and only N.R. Sivapathy, elected from the Musiri constituency, has been re-inducted.
He returned to the ministry in the reshuffle in January.
