Who is Chandira Priyanga? All you need to know about AINRC MLA who became Puducherry's first woman minister in 40 years

After a gap of four decades, precisely 41 years, Puducherry inducted woman minister Chandira Priyanga in its cabinet under Chief Minister N Rangasamy with his four other ministers. Ending the more than a month long suspense over cabinet formation, five ministers, including two from the BJP, were inducted in the Chief Minister N Rangasamy-led NDA cabinet on Sunday.

All the ministers took oath in the name of God. Chief Minister Rangasamy, among others, was present on the occasion. The portfolios have not been revealed yet.

However induction of a woman minister after four decades has brought a change in politics of Puducherry.

Who is Chandira Priyanga?

Priyanga, the AINRC MLA from Nedungadu (SC) constituency in Karaikal region of the Union territory, has become a minister in the NDA government of the AINRC and BJP.

She is the daughter of M Chandirakasu, who was a minister in the earlier AINRC government of Rangasamy in 2011. Priyanga was chosen over former minister P Rajavelu and others as she represents the outlying region of Karaikal, Scheduled Caste community and also women. Notably, she is the first SC woman to become a minister in Puducherry.

"My aim is to educate and inspire youth for jobs. There is no difference between women and men and I will prove it with my work," Priyanga said after taking oath on Sunday.

Earlier, Renuka Appadurai, elected from Reddiarpalayam constituency on an Indian National Congress (I) ticket in 1980 (1980-83), became the first woman minister in the UT. She held the portfolios of Education Minister in the DMK-Congress coalition government led by D Ramachandran of DMK.

Ending more than a month's suspense over cabinet formation, Chief Minister N Rangasamy on June 23 submitted the list of members to be included in his ministry, to Soundararajan, which was subsequently approved by the President.

Though the AINRC-led NDA had swept the April 6 Assembly polls in this union territory, cabinet formation dragged on for long as the saffron party initially insisted for a deputy CM post, but later settled for the post of the Assembly Speaker.

Soon after leading his alliance to a win, AINRC founder Rangasamy was sworn-in as Chief Minister on May 7 but no other cabinet member was sworn-in.