Tamil Nadu Cabinet Expansion: 23 MLAs sworn-in, including two congress leaders

Of the 23 new ministers, 21 are from the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), while Congress MLAs S Rajesh Kumar (Killiyoor) and P Viswanathan (Melur) mark the first formal inclusion of the Congress in a Tamil Nadu government since 1967.

Post Published By: Sujata Biswal

Updated : 21 May 2026, 11:08 AM IST

Tamil Nadu cabinet gets bigger under Vijay

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay expanded his Cabinet on Thursday, inducting 23 MLAs into the Council of Ministers, including two from the Congress party. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan in Chennai.

Of the 23 new ministers, 21 are from the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), while Congress MLAs S Rajesh Kumar (Killiyoor) and P Viswanathan (Melur) mark the first formal inclusion of the Congress in a Tamil Nadu government since 1967. Historically, Dravidian parties like the DMK and AIADMK have rarely accommodated allies in the Cabinet.

Full List of Newly Inducted Ministers:

TVK:

• A Srinath
• Kamali S
• C Vijayalakshmi
• RV Ranjithkumar
• R Vinoth
• Rajeev
• B Rajkumar
• V Gandhiraj
• Mathan Raja P
• Jegadeshwari K
• M Vijay Balaji
• Logesh Tamilselvan D
• Vijay Tamilan Parthiban A
• Ramesh
• Kumar R
• Thennarasu K
• V. Sampath Kumar
• Mohamed Farvas J
• D Sarathkumar
• N Marie Wilson
• Vignesh K

Congress:

• S Rajesh Kumar,
• P Viswanathan

Allies Await Cabinet Inclusion:
Two key allies, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), were not included in this round. While both parties support the government, IUML is yet to finalize which of its MLAs will join, and VCK has submitted one MLA’s name for future inclusion.

With the Cabinet now at 32 ministers, three more positions remain vacant, keeping the door open for IUML and VCK participation. Constitutionally, CM Vijay can have a maximum of 35 ministers, which is 15% of the Assembly strength.

This expansion reflects a significant political shift, with Congress formally entering the Dravidian-led government after more than five decades, signaling a broader coalition approach by the TVK administration.