DMK president Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin was sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on Friday. Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Stalin and to 33 Ministers, on the lawns of the Raj Bhavan. Though it was initially planned as a low-key affair, there was a substantial increase seen in the number of invitees, and in the process, COVID-19 physical distancing was not strictly followed.
Mr. Stalin began his swearing-in by reading out his name in full.
The AIADMK, the main opposition party in the Assembly was represented by former Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam. Speaker Dhanapal was also present. Chief Justice of Madras High Court Sanjib Banerjee and other judges attended the ceremony.
Mr. Stalin’s wife Durga, his son and MLA Udayanidhi and his family, his daughter Senthamarai and son-in-law Sabareesan, DMK MPs Kanimozhi and Dayanidhi Maran were among the family members present. The son and daughter of Stalin’s elder brother M.K. Alagiri also took part in the event.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.S. Alagiri, MDMK general secretary Vaiko, BJP MP L. Ganesan and MLA Nainar Nagendran also attended.
After the swearing-in, Mr. Stalin and his cabinet members left for the memorial of former Chief Ministers C. N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi and Dravidar Kazhagam founder Periyar EV Ramasamy to pay homage. His programme also includes a visit to the CIT Nagar house of Karunanidhi.
In the evening, he will chair the first cabinet meeting, which will be followed by the district collectors’ conference to discuss measures to contain COVID-19.
