PUDUCHERRY: The Union territory of Puducherry would get a woman minister after four decades.
All India NR Congress MLA Chandira Priyanga, who was elected for the second consecutive time from Nedungadu reserved constituency in the Union territory, will be inducted as a minister among four others in the cabinet led by AINRC founderleader and chief minister N Rangasamy.
Late Congress leader Renuka Appadurai was the last woman minister in Puducherry.
She held the portfolio of education in the DMK-led coalition government headed by late chief minister M D R Ramachandran from 1980 to ‘83.
The President of India on Friday approved the list of ministers to be inducted in his cabinet submitted by Rangasamy to the lieutenant governor (additional charge) Tamilisai Soundararajan.
The other four ministers are A Namassivayam (BJP), K Lakshminarayanan (AINRC), C Djeacoumar (AINRC), and A K Sai J Saravanan Kumar (BJP).
Rangasamy after submitting the list of probable ministers to Tamilisai declined to divulge the names of the probable ministers following hectic lobbying among AINRC and BJP elected members for ministerial berths.
The swearing-in ceremony will be held between 2.30pm and 3.15 pm on June 27.
Namassivayam, Lakshminarayanan and Djeacoumar served as ministers earlier while Saravanan Kumar and Chandira Priyanga are first-time ministers.
Namassivayam was the second in command in Narayanasamy-led Congress government (2016-21) before he quit the party and joined the BJP ahead of 2021 assembly polls.
Djeacoumar served as a local administration minister in the DMK-TMC coalition government led by R V Janikaraman (DMK) between 1996 and 1999.