N. Rangaswamy

N. Rangaswamy
N. Rangaswamy
	Rangaswamy in 2015
9th Chief Minister of Puducherry
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 7 May 2021
Lieutenant Governor	Tamilisai Soundararajan (2021–24); C. P. Radhakrishnan (2024); Kuniyil Kailashnathan (2024–);
Cabinet	Rangaswamy IV
Preceded by	President's rule
Constituency	Thattanchavady
	In office; 16 May 2011 – 6 June 2016
Lieutenant Governor	Iqbal Singh (2011–2013); Virendra Kataria (2013–2014); A. K. Singh (2014–2016);
Preceded by	V. Vaithilingam
Succeeded by	V. Narayanasamy
Constituency	Kadirgamam
	In office; 27 October 2001 – 4 September 2008
Lieutenant Governor	Mukut Mithi (2006–2008); Bhopinder Singh (2008); Govind Singh Gurjar; Rajani Rai; K. R. Malkani (2002–2003); P. S. Ramamohan Rao (2003–2004); Nagendra Nath Jha (2004); Madan Mohan Lakhera (2004–2006); Mukut Mithi (2006);
Preceded by	P. Shanmugam
Succeeded by	V. Vaithilingam
Constituency	Thattanchavady
12th Leader of the Opposition in Puducherry Legislative Assembly
	In office; 22 August 2016 – 22 February 2021
Preceded by	V. Vaithilingam
Succeeded by	R. Siva
Constituency	Indira Nagar
Chief Minister
Other ministerial positions
Minister for Agriculture and Co-operation in the Government of Puducherry
	In office; 4 June 1991 – 13 May 1996
Chief Minister	V. Vaithilingam
Minister for Tourism, Education, Public Works, Civil Aviation and Art & Culture in the Government of Puducherry
	In office; 26 May 1996 – 18 March 2000
Chief Minister	R. V. Janakiraman
Minister for Public Works, Agriculture and Forests in the Government of Puducherry
	In office; 22 March 2000 – 26 October 2001
Chief Minister	P. Shanmugam
	In office; 16 May 2016 – 22 February 2021
President of All India N.R. Congress
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 7 February 2011
General Secretary	M. N. Balan; N. S. Jayabal
Preceded by	Office established
Personal details
Born	Natesan Krishnasamy Gounder Rangasamy; 4 August 1950; Pondicherry, French India
Party	All India NR Congress (since 2011)
Other political; affiliations	Indian National Congress (1990–2011)

Natesan Krishnasamy Gounder Rangaswamy (born 4 August 1950) is an Indian politician who is serving as the Chief Minister of Puducherry since May 2021. He has previously served as the chief minister from 2001 to 2008 and from 2011 to 2016. He is the founding president of the political party All India N.R. Congress (AINRC), which was formed after a breakaway from the Indian National Congress in 2011.

Born in 1950, Rangaswamy completed his Bachelor of Commerce from Tagore Arts College and Bachelor of Laws from Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College in Puducherry in 1977. He contested his first election as the Congress candidate from Thattanchavady Assembly constituency during the 1990 Pondicherry Legislative Assembly election. He was elected as a member of the Pondicherry Legislative Assembly for four consecutive times from the same constituency, having first won in 1991. He served as a cabinet minister from 1991 to 2001, under three different chief ministers. He became the chief minister of Pondicherry for the first time in October 2001, and was re-appointed to the position after the Congress won the 2006 assembly elections.

Rangaswamy stepped down as the chief minister in August 2008 after internal issues within the party. Citing reconcilable differences, he formed his own party, AINRC, and contested in the 2011 assembly elections. He was elected as a member from the Kadirkamam constituency and was sworn in the chief minister for the third time in May 2016. He served as the leader of the opposition in the assembly from August 2016 to February 2021. His party won the 2021 assembly elections as a part of the National Democratic Alliance and he was sworn in as the chief minister for the fourth time on 7 May 2021.