TN Cabinet Expansion: 23 MLAs, Including 21 From Vijay's TVK, Take Oath; Congress Gets 2 Berths

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu cabinet, led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, was expanded on Thursday (May 21) after 23 more MLAs took oath. Out of the total MLAs who were inducted into the cabinet today, 21 are from Vijay's TVK and two from the Congress. These MLAs are Rajesh Kumar and Thiru P Vishwanathan. Governor RV Arlekar administered the oath.According to reports, the VCK and IUML are not part of the cabinet. In Vijay's cabinet, seven ministers are from Dalit community. These are Rajmohan (Egmore, Chennai), Lokesh (Rasipuram, Namakkal), Madhankumar (Ottapidaram, Thoothukudi), Kamali (Avinashi, Tiruppur), Gandhiraj (Arakkonam, Ranipet), Thennarasu (Sriperumbudur, Kancheepuram); and P. Viswanathan (Melur, Congress). Four woman ministers are also

part of the cabinet.

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

On May 10, Vijay took oath of office along with nine ministers. He can have maximum 35 cabinet ministers. So far, the Tamil Nadu cabinet has 32 ministers, led by Vijay. Two berths are reportedly left for the allies - the VCK and the IUMLHere's Complete List Of Ministers:

Since taking office earlier this month, Vijay has faced questions over nearly 20 departments that were left without dedicated ministers, including agriculture and higher education.Congress Becomes Part Of Tamil Nadu Government After 59 Years:The move marks a major political milestone as the Congress has remained out of power in the state since the late 1960s. The Congress was last part of a ruling dispensation in Tamil Nadu before the rise of Dravidian parties transformed the state's political landscape in 1967. Since then, the party has largely played the role of a junior ally in alliances led by either the DMK or AIADMK.The induction of Congress ministers is also being seen as an effort by Vijay to strengthen coalition management and address criticism over vacant departments in his government.In the recently concluded assembly elections, Vijay's TVK emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats. However, Vijay, vacated one of the seats later.