In the recently concluded Assembly election, the NDA partners secured seats with NR Congress winning 12 and the BJP 4, while the AIADMK and the LJP won one seat each.
Following the results, the BJP has been pressing Chief Minister N. Rangasamy to continue the earlier arrangement of two minister posts and the Speaker’s post—three key positions in total. Separately, LJP leader Charles Martin has also been pushing for a ministerial berth.
Rangasamy had earlier conveyed that posts would be allotted on the basis of seat strength, as in the previous term. With the BJP contesting 10 constituencies but winning only four, the continued demand for three positions reportedly led to friction.
Amid the standoff, the BJP insisted that its ministers should be sworn in on the same day as the Chief Minister, adding to the pressure. On May 9, Rangasamy submitted a list of two ministers to Governor Kailashnathan, including the names of Namachivayam and Anbazhagan.
The move reportedly startled the BJP leadership, which questioned under whose “quota” Anbazhagan’s minister post fell. Rangasamy is said to have replied that it was under the BJP’s quota, after which the BJP later persuaded him to replace Anbazhagan’s name with Malladi Krishnarao’s, easing the immediate tension.
