Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin to undertake cabinet reshuffle; Balaji, Ponmudy likely to exit

Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin is likely to undertake a reshuffle of his Cabinet soon with Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji’s imminent resignation after the Supreme Court asked him to choose between his post and bail and Forest Minister K Ponmudy expected to face the axe for his derogatory remarks on Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and women. 

Balaji, who was released on bail by the Supreme Court in a case filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on September 26, 2024, after he spent 15 months in prison, was re-inducted into the cabinet three days later, and allotted the Electricity and Excise portfolios which he held before his incarceration.

Once he quits as minister, Balaji is likely to be drafted for the party work ahead of the 2026 assembly polls in the politically crucial Western region, which has always been a tough terrain for the DMK. 

Ponmudy, the no.6 in the pecking order of the Cabinet and a senior DMK leader, has fallen out of the good books of the top brass after his speech at an event on April 6 stoked a major controversy by comparing Hindu Shaivite and Vaishnavite religious symbols to sexual positions. He was immediately sacked as the deputy general secretary of the DMK but continues to remain in the Cabinet. 

“There is no option left for us now. Senthil Balaji has to step down from his post if he wants his bail to be continued. Legal advisors of the party are also of the opinion that he can’t remain in the Cabinet after the Supreme Court took a serious view of his continuance as a minister,” a senior DMK leader told DH.

The leader said at least one person will be inducted into the Cabinet, and he could be from the northern region of the state. “There may be a minor re-jig of portfolios as well,” the leader added.

Another leader said Balaji’s expertise in electioneering can be utilised only if he is physically present, as there is a threat of his bail being cancelled, citing his presence in the Council of Ministers. Balaji has been credited with the party’s stupendous performance in the urban local bodies in 2022 and is likely to be entrusted with overseeing elections in the western region. 

Sources told DH that discussions have begun on whom to allot the Electricity and Excise portfolios. Thangam Thennarasu, who handled Electricity as an additional charge, has expressed his unwillingness to take up the assignment again due to his preoccupation with the Finance Department. 

It is also to be seen who will get the excise portfolio due to the sensitive nature of the portfolio, especially at a time when state-run liquor retailer Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) is being probed by the ED. 

The apex court had on April 24 asked Senthil Balaji to choose between his post and bail – the Karur strongman was arrested in June 2023 by the ED for his alleged involvement in a cash-for-jobs scam during his tenure as Transport Minister in the 2011-2016 AIADMK government. He aligned with AIADMK rebel T T V Dhinakaran after J Jayalalithaa’s death and joined the DMK in 2018.