President Pranab Mukherjee has accepted the resignation of the five members of the Union Council of Ministers belonging to the DMK with immediate effect. DMK leaders M.K. Alagiri, S.S. Palanimanickam, S. Gandhiselvan, S. Jagathrakshakan and D. Nepoleon had submitted their resignations to the Prime Minister after their party pulled out of the UPA government.
A Rashtrapati Bhavan statement said, as advised by the Prime Minister, the President has directed that the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Statistics and Programme Implementation Srikant Jena be given the additional Charge of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.