Puducherry,  Five new ministers, including the first-ever woman, were sworn in Puducherry on Sunday as the N. Rangaswamy cabinet was finally expanded.

Lt Governor Tamilisai Sounderarajan administered the oath of office and secrecy to A. Namassivayam and Sai J. Saravana Kumar (both BJP), and K. Lakshminarayanan, C. Djeacoumar and Chandira Priyanga from the AINRC.

Priyanaga is the first woman minister to be sworn in the four-decade history of the Union Territory.

This is the first time the BJP is part of a ministry in Puducherry.

The Puducherry cabinet expansion has taken place 52 days after Chief Minister Rangaswamy assumed office on May 7, after the impasse in the BJP over berths was resolved.

It is learned that the BJP would go for a rotational ministerial berth system for its nominees. Party MLA A. John Kumar's supporters had laid siege to the BJP state committee office and had destroyed chairs and tables demanding ministerial berth to their leader who had switched position to the BJP from the Congress just before the Assembly elections.