Vijay Expands Tamil Nadu Cabinet, Congress Gets Two Ministerial Berths

Vijay on Thursday expanded the Tamil Nadu cabinet, with Rajesh Kumar and P Vishwanathan taking oath as ministers at Lok Bhavan in Chennai.

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath to the newly inducted ministers. The expansion follows the Chief Minister’s recommendation to induct 23 MLAs into the Council of Ministers, which was approved by the Governor.

The Council of Ministers has a sanctioned strength of 35. Following the latest expansion, 33 ministers have now taken oath. Of these, 21 MLAs belong to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), while two ministers are from Congress.

Vijay, along with nine ministers, had earlier taken oath on May 10 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.

Coalition Dynamics Behind the Cabinet Expansion

The cabinet expansion is being viewed as an effort to consolidate the coalition government formed after the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

Although TVK emerged as the single-largest force by winning 108 out of 234 seats in its first-ever Assembly election, the party fell short of the majority mark. The government was subsequently formed with support from Congress, CPI-M, CPI, VCK and IUML.

Senior leaders from Congress welcomed the cabinet expansion and described it as a reflection of the coalition mandate delivered by voters.

Congress leader Girish Chodankar said, “Our cadres were fighting for having a share in power...today the people of Tamil Nadu have voted for a coalition govt...they wanted a secular, progressive govt.”

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President K Selvaperunthagai highlighted the party’s performance and representation in the ministry.

“We got 40/40 seats in Tamil Nadu, it's a 100% strike rate, and now we got two ministers. Today is Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Day. He sacrificed a lot,” he said.

Senior Congress leader Su. Thirunavukkarasar also backed the move.

“It is a welcome move. I appreciate and thank Vijay for giving this offer and also Rahul Gandhi for accepting it,” he said.

“Cabinet Should Function Like One Family”

Earlier, Tamil Nadu Minister Aadhav Arjuna had indicated that further cabinet expansion was likely as the government sought to accommodate alliance partners.

“The Chief Minister wants the cabinet to function like one family,” Arjuna said.

“The Chief Minister wants the parties that extended support to be represented in the cabinet,” he added.

His remarks reinforced the government’s emphasis on coalition management and inclusive representation within the ministry.

Historic Election Reshaped Tamil Nadu Politics

The 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election marked a major political shift in the state. TVK’s emergence under Vijay ended the decades-long dominance of the DMK and AIADMK-led political order.

The actor-turned-politician, popularly known as “Thalapathy,” drew massive crowds during the election campaign, prompting comparisons with former Chief Minister M. G. Ramachandran.

Vijay’s political rise has also drawn parallels with late actor-politician Vijayakanth, another major film personality who entered Tamil Nadu politics.

Though TVK was officially launched in 2024, Vijay had long maintained a public presence through social initiatives and films dealing with issues such as corruption, governance and drug abuse. Speculation about his political entry had existed for more than a decade before his formal launch into politics.

(With inputs from ANI)