Vijay expands Cabinet, Congress joins after six decades

Chennai, May 21:

In a watershed moment in Tamil Nadu politics, Chief Minister and TVK founder C Joseph Vijay on Thursday expanded his 10-day-old Cabinet by inducting alliance partner Indian National Congress, marking the party’s return to power after nearly six decades and ushering in the State’s first-ever coalition government.

The development fulfils Vijay’s pre-poll promise of sharing power with allies and signals a historic shift from Tamil Nadu’s long-standing single-party rule. It also represents the first significant post-poll political realignment in the State’s political history, breaking away from the decades-old Dravidian duopoly dominated by DMK and AIADMK.

Ten days after assuming office along with nine ministers, Vijay expanded his Council of Ministers by inducting 23 new members—21 from the ruling TVK and two from Congress. The new ministers were sworn in by Governor R V Arlekar at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan, which began with the recital of Vande Mataram, the National Anthem, and Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu. With this, the total strength of the Ministry has risen to 33, including four women ministers.

The two Congress representatives inducted into the Cabinet are CLP leader S Rajesh Kumar (Killiyoor) and P Viswanathan (Melur), marking the party’s return to governance in Tamil Nadu after its rule ended in 1967 under stalwarts like K Kamaraj and M Bhaktavatsalam. Congress leaders noted the symbolic timing of the induction, coinciding with the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

While 1967 marked the beginning of uninterrupted Dravidian rule for nearly six decades, the 2026 Assembly elections saw TVK emerge as the single largest party with 108 seats, ending the dominance of DMK and AIADMK. With the support of Congress (5 MLAs), Left parties, and others, Vijay crossed the majority mark of 118 and secured a comfortable trust vote in the Assembly.

Congress, which had earlier supported governments from outside—including the DMK-led regime in 2006—has now formally joined the Cabinet, fulfilling a long-standing political objective. In addition to two ministerial berths, the party is also expected to secure a Rajya Sabha seat vacated by rebel AIADMK legislator C Ve Shanmugam.

Supporting parties such as VCK and IUML are also likely to be accommodated in the Cabinet, though final decisions are awaited. Sources indicate that their induction may take place later, depending on internal consultations.

Notably, the rebel AIADMK faction led by C Ve Shanmugam, SP Velumani, and C Vijayabhaskar—who had supported the government during the confidence vote—did not find representation in the Cabinet, reportedly due to opposition from Left parties and VCK, which had warned of reconsidering their support.

The 23 newly inducted ministers include Srinath (Thoothukudi), Kamali S (Avinashi), C Vijayalakshmi (Kumarapalayam), R V Ranjithkumar (Kancheepuram), Vinoth (Kumbakonam), Rajeev (Thiruvadanai), B Rajkumar (Cuddalore), V Gandhiraj (Arakkonam), Mathan Raja P (Ottapidaram), Jegadeshwari K (Rajapalayam), S Rajesh Kumar (Killiyoor), M Vijay Balaji (Erode East), Logesh Tamilselvan D (Rasipuram), Vijay Tamilan Parthiban A (Salem South), Ramesh (Srirangam), P Viswanathan (Melur), R Kumar (Velachery), Thennarasu K (Sriperumbudur), V Sampath Kumar (Coimbatore North), Mohamed Farvas J (Aranthangi), D Sarathkumar (Tambaram), N Marie Wilson (Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar), and Vignesh K (Kinathukadavu).