Tamil Nadu Raj Bhawan on Sunday announced that Tamil Nadu ministers V Senthil Balaji and K Ponmudi have resigned from the Chief Minister M K Stalin-led cabinet. This came as a major development in the state politics amid assembly polls scheduled to take place next year.  

According to a press release issued by Raj Bhavan, Governor RN Ravi has approved Chief Minister Stalin's recommendation to accept their resignations.

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Notably, Senthil Balaji, who is under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), was told by the Supreme Court on Wednesday to choose between holding office and his personal liberty. The court warned him that if he did not resign from his ministerial post, his bail would be cancelled.

Ponmudy sparked a major controversy with his derogatory remarks on women.  He courted a row over his Shaivite-Vaishnavite comment made in the context of a sex worker. The Madras High Court even took up the issue on its own. Although he was removed from an important party position, opposition parties and others continued to demand his removal from the cabinet.

Transport Minister S S Sivasankar has been assigned the Electricity portfolio, which was previously managed by Senthil Balaji. Additionally, Housing Minister S Muthusamy will now oversee the Excise and Prohibition department, also earlier held by Balaji.

R S Rajakannappan, who is currently in charge of Milk and Dairy Development, has been given the Forests and Khadi portfolios that were handled by Ponmudy.

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The Governor has also approved the Chief Minister’s recommendation to bring Padmanabhapuram MLA T Mano Thangaraj back into the cabinet. He was removed in a previous reshuffle.

The newly appointed minister will take the oath of office at 6 PM on Monday, the release stated.