The western region, including Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Salem, Namakkal and Dharmapuri districts, will have seven Ministers in the new State Government.
Of the seven Ministers, three of them were Ministers in the previous Government too.
Second term
It will be a second term for S.P. Velumani, who will head the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department.
He will be a member of the Legislative Assembly for a third time on the trot. His first entry into the assembly was in 2006 when he won the then Perur assembly constituency by a margin 14,235 votes.
Five years later, after the reorganisation of constituencies, he contested from Thondamuthur assembly and won by a margin of 53,203 votes. His return for the second time saw him first head the Industries Department. He was out of the State Cabinet for a brief while.
When he returned, he headed the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department.
This year, he not only won the Thondamuthur seat but also with an improved margin u2013 he polled 64,041 votes more than Syed Mohammed of Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, a DMK ally.
New comer
From Tirupur District, K. Radhakrishnan, a new comer to the electoral politics, has every reason to be delighted as he is said to become the Minister for Housing and Urban Development. He got elected in his first electoral battle by defeating M. K. Muthu of DMK by 5,687 votes from Udumalpet constituency.
A native of Kolarpatti, a hamlet situated near Udumalpet, Mr. Radhakrishnan is the district secretary (Tirupur Rural) of the AIADMK. He was chairman of Arasu Cable TV Corporation Limited and resigned from the post once the party announced his candidature.
A cabinet berth for Bhavani MLA K.C. Karupannan was on expected lines, since he had won by the highest margin of votes in Erode district.
Incidentally, Mr. Karupannan has been given Environment portfolio hitherto held by Thoppu N.D. Venkatachalam representing Perundurai in the same district. Mr. Karuppannan is presently the Chairman of Bhavani Municipality, a post he won in 2011 by polling a total of 8,949 votes
Mr. Karupannan, a former AIADMK MLA in the same segment, had won this time by a margin of 24,887 votes, in a constituency where the fight was expected to be tough, due to the presence of PMK candidate K.V. Ramanathan, who is a former MLA.
Ultimately, Mr. Karupannan polled 85,748 votes that was more than the total of the candidates in second and third spots. In terms of percentage, Mr. Karupannan got 45.38 compared to 32.21 by Mr. Sivakumar and 10.96 by Mr. Ramanathan.
Fourth term
K. P. Anbalagan, the new Higher Education Minister, was elected from Palacode constituency in Dharmapuri district, for the fourth consecutive time in this election.
Anbalagan (58), hailing from Kerakodahalli village in Palacode taluk, was first elected from this constituency in 2001 and was nominated as Information and Public Relations and Local Administration Minister in 2003. In the recent election, Mr. Anbalagan defeated DMK candidate P. K. Murugan by a margin of 5,983 votes. He polled 76,143 votes and Mr. Murugan tallied 70,160 votes.
At present, Mr. Anbalagan is also holding the post of the secretary of Dharmapuri district unit of the party.
Salem and Namakkal districts have got three Ministers in the new cabinet. While u2018Edappadiu2019 K. Palaniswami, elected from Edappadi and P. Thangamani elected from Kumarapalayam constituencies, served as Ministers in the previous regime, V. Saroja, elected from Rasipuram-reserved seat is a new face.
Dr. V. Saroja, who has been appointed as Social Welfare and Nutritious Noon Meal Minister in the new cabinet, held the posts of MP and MLA and State Information Commissioner in the past. A medical professional with a MBBS, MD and DGO degrees from Stanely Medical College and Madras Medical College, Chennai, Dr. Saroja was elected to the State Assembly from Sankagiri-reserved constituency in Salem district in the 1991 elections. Later, she was elected to the Lok Sabha from Rasipuram-reserved constituency in 1998 and 1999 elections. She also served as member of Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women, Chairman of TAHDCO and State Information Commissioner.
u2018Edappadiu2019 K. Palaniswami, the Minister for State Highways and Minor Ports in the previous Jayalalithaa regime, has not only retained the same portfolio, but has also got additional Public Works Department.
He was first elected to the assembly from Edappadi constituency in 1989 and retained the seat in the next elections. He won from the same constituency in the 2011 elections too. In the just concluded election, Mr. Palaniswami romped home with a whopping margin of 42,022 votes over his nearest PMK rival N. Annadurai in a 15-cornered contest in Edappadi constituency. Mr. Palaniswami secured 98,703 votes, Mr. Annadurai polled 56,681 votes.
P. Thangamani, elected from Komarapalayam constituency for the third successive time, has been this time allotted Electricity portfolio. He served as Minister for Industries and later was given the Transport portfolio too. Mr. Thangamani was first elected to the assembly from Tiruchengode constituency in the 2006 elections and was shifted to newly created Kumarapalayam seat in the 2011 elections. He defeated P. Yuvaraj of DMK by a whopping margin of 47,329 votes in Kumarapalayam seat this time.
(With inputs from Karthik Madhavan, R. Vimal Kumar, R. Krishnamoorthy and Syed Muthahar Saqaf)
Of the seven Ministers, three of them were Ministers in the previous Government too.
Second term
It will be a second term for S.P. Velumani, who will head the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department.
He will be a member of the Legislative Assembly for a third time on the trot. His first entry into the assembly was in 2006 when he won the then Perur assembly constituency by a margin 14,235 votes.
Five years later, after the reorganisation of constituencies, he contested from Thondamuthur assembly and won by a margin of 53,203 votes. His return for the second time saw him first head the Industries Department. He was out of the State Cabinet for a brief while.
When he returned, he headed the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department.
This year, he not only won the Thondamuthur seat but also with an improved margin u2013 he polled 64,041 votes more than Syed Mohammed of Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, a DMK ally.
New comer
From Tirupur District, K. Radhakrishnan, a new comer to the electoral politics, has every reason to be delighted as he is said to become the Minister for Housing and Urban Development. He got elected in his first electoral battle by defeating M. K. Muthu of DMK by 5,687 votes from Udumalpet constituency.
A native of Kolarpatti, a hamlet situated near Udumalpet, Mr. Radhakrishnan is the district secretary (Tirupur Rural) of the AIADMK. He was chairman of Arasu Cable TV Corporation Limited and resigned from the post once the party announced his candidature.
A cabinet berth for Bhavani MLA K.C. Karupannan was on expected lines, since he had won by the highest margin of votes in Erode district.
Incidentally, Mr. Karupannan has been given Environment portfolio hitherto held by Thoppu N.D. Venkatachalam representing Perundurai in the same district. Mr. Karuppannan is presently the Chairman of Bhavani Municipality, a post he won in 2011 by polling a total of 8,949 votes
Mr. Karupannan, a former AIADMK MLA in the same segment, had won this time by a margin of 24,887 votes, in a constituency where the fight was expected to be tough, due to the presence of PMK candidate K.V. Ramanathan, who is a former MLA.
Ultimately, Mr. Karupannan polled 85,748 votes that was more than the total of the candidates in second and third spots. In terms of percentage, Mr. Karupannan got 45.38 compared to 32.21 by Mr. Sivakumar and 10.96 by Mr. Ramanathan.
Fourth term
K. P. Anbalagan, the new Higher Education Minister, was elected from Palacode constituency in Dharmapuri district, for the fourth consecutive time in this election.
Anbalagan (58), hailing from Kerakodahalli village in Palacode taluk, was first elected from this constituency in 2001 and was nominated as Information and Public Relations and Local Administration Minister in 2003. In the recent election, Mr. Anbalagan defeated DMK candidate P. K. Murugan by a margin of 5,983 votes. He polled 76,143 votes and Mr. Murugan tallied 70,160 votes.
At present, Mr. Anbalagan is also holding the post of the secretary of Dharmapuri district unit of the party.
Salem and Namakkal districts have got three Ministers in the new cabinet. While u2018Edappadiu2019 K. Palaniswami, elected from Edappadi and P. Thangamani elected from Kumarapalayam constituencies, served as Ministers in the previous regime, V. Saroja, elected from Rasipuram-reserved seat is a new face.
Dr. V. Saroja, who has been appointed as Social Welfare and Nutritious Noon Meal Minister in the new cabinet, held the posts of MP and MLA and State Information Commissioner in the past. A medical professional with a MBBS, MD and DGO degrees from Stanely Medical College and Madras Medical College, Chennai, Dr. Saroja was elected to the State Assembly from Sankagiri-reserved constituency in Salem district in the 1991 elections. Later, she was elected to the Lok Sabha from Rasipuram-reserved constituency in 1998 and 1999 elections. She also served as member of Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women, Chairman of TAHDCO and State Information Commissioner.
u2018Edappadiu2019 K. Palaniswami, the Minister for State Highways and Minor Ports in the previous Jayalalithaa regime, has not only retained the same portfolio, but has also got additional Public Works Department.
He was first elected to the assembly from Edappadi constituency in 1989 and retained the seat in the next elections. He won from the same constituency in the 2011 elections too. In the just concluded election, Mr. Palaniswami romped home with a whopping margin of 42,022 votes over his nearest PMK rival N. Annadurai in a 15-cornered contest in Edappadi constituency. Mr. Palaniswami secured 98,703 votes, Mr. Annadurai polled 56,681 votes.
P. Thangamani, elected from Komarapalayam constituency for the third successive time, has been this time allotted Electricity portfolio. He served as Minister for Industries and later was given the Transport portfolio too. Mr. Thangamani was first elected to the assembly from Tiruchengode constituency in the 2006 elections and was shifted to newly created Kumarapalayam seat in the 2011 elections. He defeated P. Yuvaraj of DMK by a whopping margin of 47,329 votes in Kumarapalayam seat this time.
(With inputs from Karthik Madhavan, R. Vimal Kumar, R. Krishnamoorthy and Syed Muthahar Saqaf)