Chennai, May 24 (IANS): Member of legislative assembly from Sriperumbudur, Selvaperunthagai has been appointed as the Congress legislative party leader in Tamil Nadu assembly. This was announced by Tamil Nadu Pradesh Congress Committee president, K.S. Alagiri.

"K. Selvaperunthagai is appointed as the Congress Legislative party (CLP) leader in the Tamil Nadu assembly. Rajesh Kumar will be the Deputy leader of the Congress Legislative Party", Alagiri said in a statement on Sunday night.

The TNCC president said that these appointments are made with the directions from the All India Congress Committee president, Sonia Gandhi.

After the Congress won 18 of the 25 seats allocated to it by the DMK, four MLAs were in the race for the post of CLP leader. Central observers of the Congress party, Mallikarjun Kharge and V. Vaithalingam met all the 18 MLAs separately and chose the names of Selvaperunthagai and Rajesh Kumar for the posts of CLP leader and Deputy Leader respectively.

Newly appointed Congress Legislative Party leader, Selvaperunthagai while speaking to IANS over telephone said, "This is a great honour and I will live up to the expectations of the party leadership which has bestowed its faith on me. I do thank the people of my constituency and party cadres who worked relentlessly for my victory. I am thankful to the All India Congress party president, Sonia Gandhi and the TNCC president K.S. Alagiri for selecting me to this post."