CHENNAI: The Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa on Monday dropped Transport Minister V Senthil Balaji from the Council of Ministers. A communication from Raj Bhavan said Governor K Rosaiah accepted the recommendation and relieved Balaji from the Cabinet. This is the first reshuffle of Cabinet after Jayalalithaa took office as Chief Minister for the fifth time on May 23.
The portfolios looked after by him —Transport, Nationalised Transport and Motor Vehicles Act — have been given to Industries Minister P Thangamani, who has been re-designated as Minister for Industries and Transport.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Jayalalithaa said Senthil Balaji has been relieved as party’s Karur district secretary. She said Thangamani would handle the affairs of the party’s Karur district until someone else is appointed. Thangamani is at present the party’s Namakkal district secretary.
In the past, senior ministers K A Sengottaiyan, K P Munusamy, S S Krishnamurthi and Madhavaram V Murthi faced similar action. They lost their party post and were dropped from the Cabinet too.