Vijay-led TVK government expands cabinet with 23 new ministers

In a major political development in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday expanded his cabinet for the first time since assuming office earlier this month, inducting 23 new ministers, including two MLAs from the Indian National Congress in a historic move.The swearing-in ceremony was held at Lok Bhavan at 10 am, where Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers.

#WATCH | Chennai | TVK and Congress MLAs take oath as Tamil Nadu Ministers in the presence of CM Vijay and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar

The CM has recommended to induct 23 MLAs into the Council of Ministers and the state Governor approved the recommendation made by the… pic.twitter.com/6Svw7eJZKb

— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2026

With the latest expansion, the strength of the cabinet led by Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has risen to 33 ministers, while the total strength of the council of ministers now stands at 35.The induction of two Congress legislators into the cabinet marks the first such inclusion in nearly six decades, reflecting a significant political realignment in the state.
Among those sworn in were Congress MLAs Rajesh Kumar S from Killiyoor and P. Viswanathan from Melur, along with several TVK legislators from across the state.Rajesh Kumar, a three-time legislator from Kanyakumari district and former president of the District Congress Committee (West), won the 2026 Assembly election from Killiyoor with 66,434 votes, defeating TVK candidate S Sabin by 1,311 votes.P. Viswanathan, a senior Congress leader and practising advocate from Madurai district, was elected from the Melur constituency after securing 60,080 votes and defeating TVK’s A Maduraiveeran by a margin of 2,724 votes. Viswanathan previously served as a Member of Parliament from Kancheepuram in 2009 and is currently the All India Congress Committee in-charge for Telangana.
The TVK legislators who took oath as ministers included 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), M. Vijay Balaji (Erode East), Logesh Tamilselvan D (Rasipuram), Vijay Tamilan Parthiban A (Salem South), Ramesh (Srirangam), Kumar R (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).