11 of 183 people at venue of Puducherry CM's swearing-in test positive for COVID-19

Puducherry May 07: A mobile team of the Health Department of Puducherry examined each of the 183 people at the venue of swearing-in of Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Friday and found 11 of them were infected with COVID-19.

Of the 11, nine were police personnel and the remaining two invitees to the function, a press release said.

The 11 were denied permission to enter the venue and were sent to a hospital. The territorial administration observed safety protocols and examined all who turned up for the function.

Admission to the venue was restricted to a limited number of people.

AINRC leader N Rangasamy was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Puducherry at a brief ceremony held at the Raj Nivas on Friday and will lead a coalition government of BJP members in his cabinet.

While Karnataka is the lone southern state with the BJP in the ruling saddle, its induction in the UT cabinet allows the saffron party expand its footprint, vis-a-vis power in the region.

Incidentally, it fared well in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, where it won four assembly seats in the Dravidian heartland in the April 6 polls.

Union Minister of State for Home and BJP leader Kishan Reddy, who attended the swearing-in ceremony today, told reporters that BJP and AINRC would have three ministers each and they would be sworn in over the next few days.

BJP's A Namassivayam, who was elected unanimously as the leader of the BJP legislature wing, is tipped to be deputy chief minister.