Jayakumar becomes finance minister of TN

In the first rejig of the new state cabinet on Thursday, fisheries minister D Jayakumar was allotted finance and personnel and administrative reforms portfolios held by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Jayakumar will now head the Finance, Planning, Legislative Assembly, Elections and Passports, Personnel and Administrative Reforms and Personnel and Administrative Reforms (training) departments in addition to his current Fisheries portfolio.

Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao "accepted the recommendation of the Chief Minister," in this regard, a Raj Bhavan communique said.

"The subjects Finance, Planning, Legislative Assembly, Elections and Passports, Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Personnel and Administrative Reforms (Training), hitherto dealt with by the Chief Minister may be reallocated to D Jayakumar," it said.

Jayakumar will now be designated as Minister for Fisheries, Finance and Personnel and Administrative Reforms, it added.

Jayakumar is from north Chennai, the stronghold of veteran leader E Madhusudanan who had joined O Panneerselvam in revolting against interim general secretary VK Sasikala. Importantly, the RK Nagar constituency that fell vacant after the death of late leader J Jayalalithaa falls in this area.