Chennai:
J Jayalalithaa begins her third term as Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister today. She has been sworn in by Governor SS Barnala along with 33 cabinet ministers at the Madras University.
Her AIADMK and its allies stomped to victory in the state elections, landing 203 of the 234 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.
The DMK and the Congress both skipped the oath-taking ceremony for the new government. Both parties contested the election jointly, and were hammered, with the DMK delivering one of its worst performances ever, managing barely 22 seats.
(Read: Jayalalithaa's council of ministers)After her oath-taking ceremony, Jayalalithaa is hosting a lunch at the Taj Coromandel in Chennai. Among her VIP guests are Andhra politician Chandrababu Naidu and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The Chettinad Chicken Biryani is being highlighted as the day's special on the lunch menu.
(Read: Narendra Modi at Jayalalithaa's swearing-in ceremony)
Jayalalithaa's track record has established her as an efficient administrator. Her big challenge will be revamping the state's economy - Tamil Nadu has a debt of over a lakh crore rupees. And the new Chief Minister announced a slate of freebies in her campaign which will now have to be delivered.