MK Stalin, DMK Chief, Takes Oath As Tamil Nadu Chief Minister

The DMK, which led an alliance that includes the Congress and other smaller parties, swept the April 6 election, winning 159 of 234 seatsChennai: DMK chief MK Stalin was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, along with 33 members of his cabinet, by Governor Banwarilal Purohit in a simple ceremony - amid restrictions in place due to the pandemic - at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai this morning.His wife, Durga Stalin; son, Udhayanidhi, who made his poll debut this year and won from Chennai's Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni seat; and sister, Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi, were among those present.He was also sworn in as Home Minister and will hold other portfolios, including administrative and police services, special programmes and the welfare of differently abled persons.This will be Mr Stalin's first term; at 69, he is the oldest first-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. His father, party legend M Karunanidhi, held the post five times. A seven-time MLA and twice elected as the Mayor of Chennai, today's swearing in marks the culmination of a 10-year journey.Mr Stalin takes charge as the state battles a severe second Covid wave; this morning nearly 25,000 new cases were reported. The number of cases spiked during campaigning, as all major parties held rallies at which social distancing was absent, leading to sharp rebukes from the Madras High Court.