A total of 223 of the 234 newly-elected members took oath as legislators of the 16th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly at the Kalaivanar Arangam on Wallajah Salai, Chennai on Tuesday. Ten members, including Tourism Minister M. Mathiventhan and Minister for Backward Classes Welfare S.S. Sivasankar did not take the oath owing to personal and medical reasons.
Soon after pro-tem Speaker K. Pitchandi commenced the first session of the 16th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Council of Ministers, Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami, former Speaker P. Dhanapal, former Deputy Speaker Pollachi V. Jayaraman, floor leaders of various parties and other legislators submitted their certificates of election to the Assembly Secretary and took oath as members of the House.
Among the first-time MLAs were Udhayanidhi Stalin, T. Ramachandran and Thirumagan Evera, who are sons of DMK president M.K. Stalin, Congress MP Su. Thirunavukkarasar and Congress leader E.V.K.S. Elangovan respectively.
AIADMK member K.P. Munusamy, who resigned his post as Rajya Sabha MP on Monday, in view of his election to the 16th State Legislative Assembly from Veppanahalli Assembly constituency, also took his oath as MLA in the House.
This is also the first time since independence that the State Legislative Assembly would not have a nominated MLA from the Anglo-Indian community. A Constitutional amendment made by the Union government in the Parliament discontinued representation for Anglo-Indians both in the Lok Sabha as well as in all Legislative Assemblies across the country.
All the members of the House, officials of the Assembly and reporters present in the House wore face masks and hand sanitizers were used frequently a precautionary measure against the spread of COVID-19.
