Former Union Minister and All India Congress Committee General Secretary V Narayanasamy was sworn in as Puducherry Chief Minister on Monday, reported PTI. Five other Congress legislators­ – A Namassivayam, Malladi Krishna Rao, Shah Jahan, M Kandasamy and R Kamalakannan – also took oath along with him.

Of the 30 seats in the Puducherry Assembly, the Congress won 15 seats and emerged the single largest party, while its ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam won two. Narayanasamy had served as minister of state in the prime minister's office in the United Progressive Alliance government in 2009 after serving as UPA's minister of state for parliamentary affairs from 2004.

Narayanasamy did not contest the May 16 Assembly polls and will now have to seek election to the legislature in a bypoll. Narayanasamy and Pradesh Congress Committee President A Namassivayam were close contenders for the chief ministerial post, but the former emerged the unanimous choice at a Congress Legislative Party meeting.