Chennai, May 23 (IANS): AIADMK general secretary J.Jayalalithaa was sworn-in as Tamil Nadu chief minister for the fifth time here on Saturday.

Jayalalithaa was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor K. Rosaiah.

The governor also administered the oath of office to the council of ministers.

On Friday, Jayalalithaa handed over the list of ministers to be sworn in, to the governor.

Jayalalithaa, while dropping M.S.M. Anand, minister for forests and P. Chendur Pandian (without any portfolio), retained all other ministers in the outgoing O. Panneerselvam government, without changing their portfolios.

She would look after public, IAS, IPS and IFS, Home, general administration, district revenue departments, while Panneerselvam will continue to hold the finance and public works portfolio.

Jayalalithaa had to relinquish the post of chief minister and her Srirangam assembly seat after she was convicted and given a four-year jail term along with Rs.100 crore fine by a trial court in Bengaluru in the disproportionate assets case.

A close aide of AIADMK founder-leader MGR, Jayalalithaa became the party's propaganda secretary in the early 1980s. In 1984, she entered the Rajya Sabha.

Jayalalithaa was elected to the Tamil Nadu assembly for the first time in 1989.

Two years later, she became the chief minister, sweeping the election held after the 1991 assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Her party was voted out in 1996 amid corruption charges, but she returned to power in 2001.

Jayalalithaa again led the AIADMK to a thumping victory in 2011. This time, she announced a string of populist measures that have proved to be hugely popular in Tamil Nadu.

Jayalalithaa studied in Bengaluru and Chennai, and ventured into acting. She made her debut at the age of 16 in a Kannada movie, and went on to act in over 140 films.