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Rangasamy to be sworn in today

Special Correspondent

No consensus on the names of other ministers

Pondicherry: The 56-year-old N. Rangasamy will be sworn in Chief Minister of Pondicherry at a function in Rajnivas here on May 18. Lt. Governor of Pondicherry, M.M. Lakhera will administer the oaths of office and secrecy to Mr. Rangasamy who will don the mantle for a second time in a row.

The Union Territory of Pondicherry has had 15 Chief Ministers so far since its merger de jure with Indian Union in 1962. Some of the incumbents held the post more than once but with some gap of time between one term and another.

However Mr. Rangasamy is the second incumbent to hold the post of Chief Minister successively for a second term after S. Ramassamy. Mr Ramassamy headed the AIADMK-CPI alliance ministry in 1974 (which lasted for 21 days) and became Chief Minister successively in 1977 when AIADMK again formed the government in alliance with the then Congress (S).

Mr. Rangasamy, a bachelor, was first elected from the Thattanchavady constituency in 1991 and had been holding the constituency without break by emerging victorious in all the polls held subsequently to the territorial Assembly in 1996 and 2001. Mr. Rangasamy had held the post of Agriculture Minister in in 1991 when Mr V. Vaithilngam formed a single party rule by the Congress. He again served as Agriculture Minister in the cabinet in 2000. Mr. Shanmugham, who became Chief Minister in 2001 for a six month period, Mr. Rangasamy served as Education Minister and became Chief Minister in October 2001. The Congress is now engaged in finalising the names of ministerial candidates. As no consensus could be reportedly reached on the names, Mr. Rangasamy alone would be sworn in on Thursday. The Pondicherry Lt. Governor received a communication from the Union Home Ministry on Wednesday approving the appointment of Mr. Rangasamy as Chief Minister.

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