Outgoing CM O Panneerselvam greets CM Jayalalithaa in Chennai on Saturday. (PTI) Outgoing CM O Panneerselvam greets CM Jayalalithaa in Chennai on Saturday. (PTI)

J Jayalalithaa returned as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Saturday at a grand but brief ceremony on Saturday. After she was sworn in around 11.05 am, her Cabinet of 28 took their oath in chorus — including O Panneerselvam, the outgoing CM now named deputy CM.

Jayalalithaa retained all the members of the outgoing Cabinet except two. While minister P Chendur Pandian goes out for health reasons, it is not clear why Forest Minister M S M Anandan has been removed.

The swearing-in, held in the auditorium of Madras University (one of Jayalalithaa’s favourite venues), drew hundreds of cadres. As the AIADMK supremo emerged from her home — for only the second time after eight months of self-exile — to head to the venue, hundreds of people waited outside to catch a glimpse.

The city was decked up with posters and banners hailing the AIADMK chief. As her supporters hit the roads and her convoy moved, traffic came to a standstill.

Among those who turned up for the swearing-in were BJP leaders Pon Radhakrishnan, L Ganesan and H Raja, industrialists and film stars including Rajinikanth. However, state BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan, a staunch critic of Jayalalithaa, stayed away.

Musician Ilayaraja, actor and All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi leader Sarath Kumar, actors Prabhu and Arjun, and India Cements Managing Director N Srinivasan were also present.

Jayalalithaa is expected to keep the core team of ‘government advisors’, all considered close to her. While retired IAS officer Sheela Balakrishnan is currently the special adviser to government, retired DGP K Ramanujam is an advisor as is ex-principal secretary K N Venkataramanan.

The role of the powerful family of Jayalalithaa’s aide Sasikala in the government appears limited. However, they handle Jaya TV and Namadhu MGR, an AIADMK mouthpiece. “Revival of Jaya TV would be one of the major priorities before Amma ahead of the elections,” a source pointed out.

There was no explanation for why the ministers took oath in chorus, though sources said Jayalalithaa wanted to keep her day short. After the ceremony, she headed straight home instead of the Secretariat as expected.

Sources close to her said the CM could have a slight fever or cold, and may visit the Secretariat now on Sunday or Monday. “Her core team wanted to finish the programme early and that is why we went in for a chorus oath for ministers. She will be fine soon,” a source close to Poes Garden said.

The national anthem too saw an abridged version at the ceremony, which was played before the oath-taking, followed by the full version at the end of the programme.

Jayalalithaa wore a green sari and a green stone ring, wielded a green pen, and handed over a green-lined bouquet to Governor K Rosaiah. Many women cadres, among the hundreds packing the 4,500-capacity hall, were also in green, including Sasikala.

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