Finance For N Marie Wilson, Revenue For Sengottaiyan: TN Cabinet Gets Bigger Under CM Vijay- Here’s Who Got What

New Delhi: Two weeks after swearing-in, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay expanded his cabinet today by inducting 23 new MLAs. The newly sworn-in cabinet members include 21 lawmakers from Vijay's own Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party and two from ally Congress.

Chief Minister Vijay had initially taken the oath of office alongside nine ministers from his own party, the TVK. Following the latest expansion, the Chief Minister allocated portfolios to the newly inducted ministers while also tweaking several responsibilities that had been assigned during the initial swearing-in.

With this expansion, the Congress party marks its return to the Tamil Nadu cabinet after nearly six decades. The entry follows party president Mallikarjun Kharge's approval of two Congress MLAs, Rajesh Kumar and P Vishwanathan, for ministerial roles.

The political shift comes after the Congress contested the Tamil Nadu assembly elections in alliance with the DMK, which was voted out after just one term. Actor-turned-politician Vijay's TVK, launched in February 2024, emerged as the single-largest party but fell 10 seats short of a majority in the 234-member assembly.

Seeking to bridge the gap, Vijay secured Congress' support on the condition that "communal forces" be kept out of the alliance. The alliance was further strengthened when the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Left parties extended their backing, pushing the TVK-led coalition comfortably past the majority mark.

Who got what?

Following the Cabinet expansion, the superstar-turned-chief minister Chief Minister Vijay retains heavy portfolios, including Home, Police, Municipal Administration and Water Supply, and the Indian Administrative Service. 

In a major structural change, the critical Finance portfolio- previously held by KA Sengottaiyan- has been handed to Marie Wilson, while Sengottaiyan moves to take charge of Revenue and Disaster Management. 

The rest of the expanding Council of Ministers splits crucial infrastructure, welfare, and economic portfolios as follows:

Infrastructure & Development: N Anand takes over Rural Development and Water Resources, while Rajkumar handles Housing and Urban Development. Rajeev heads Environment and Climate Change, and Ranjithkumar manages the Ministry of Forest.

Education & Technology: Alongside Kumar’s AI and IT portfolio, Vishwanath takes charge of Higher Education, and Raj Mohan is appointed the new Education Minister.

Industry, Commerce & Finance: Joining Finance Minister Marie Wilson are Keerthana as Minister for Industries, Prabhu leading the Ministry of Mines, Logesh handling Commercial Tax and Registration, and Madha Raj managing MSMEs.

Law, Administration & Public Services: Nirmal Kumar becomes the Minister for Energy and Law, Sarathkumar takes over Human Resource Management, and Vignesh K is named Minister for Prohibition and Excise.

Welfare & Social Justice: Jagadeshwari heads Social Welfare and Woman Empowerment, Mohamed Farvas takes over Labour Welfare and Skill Development, and Sampath Kumar oversees the Ministry for Backward Classes.

Agriculture, Food & Resources: Vinoth takes the helm at the Ministry of Agriculture, Venkataraman oversees Food and Civil Supplies, Srinath manages Fisheries, Kamali handles Animal Husbandry, and Vijaylakshmi takes over Milk and Dairy.

Public Services, Culture & Economy: Arun Raj is appointed Health Minister, Vijay Tamil Parthiban takes Transport, Aadhav Arjuna becomes the Sports Minister, and Rajesh Kumar assumes the Tourism portfolio. Additionally, Gandhiraj oversees the Ministry of Cooperation, Vijay Balaji takes Handloom and Textiles, and Ramesh will manage HR&CE.

What abt IUML, VCK?

Following a public invitation from the TVK, both the VCK and the IUML are expected to officially join the Tamil Nadu cabinet within the next few days, with reports indicating they will secure one ministerial berth each, as per reports.

Chief Minister Vijay had previously taken office on May 10 alongside nine other MLAs at Chennai's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Vijay's Cabinet now has 32 ministers. He can have up to 35 ministers, which is 15 percent of the Assembly strength of 234. 

Today's induction of 23 new ministers brings the total strength of the Vijay government to 32, leaving exactly three vacant berths remaining to accommodate allies like the VCK and IUML.

How Congress Reacted

Congress leaders welcomed the cabinet expansion and lauded the formation of what they described as a “secular progressive government.” 

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 also welcomed the decision and highlighted the party's representation in the cabinet. "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.

Furthermore, Senior Congress leader Su. Thirunavukkarasar also welcomed the move and expressed gratitude towards Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay. "It is a welcome move. I appreciate and thank Vijay for giving this offer and also Rahul Gandhi for accepting it," he said.

Tamil Nadu polls

Vijay, often referred to as the 'Thalapathy', showed a crowd-pulling ability in the election rallies, which many compared to actor-turned-politician and former CM MG Ramachandran. While Tamil Nadu has had a long history of actors entering and conquering politics, the State awaited another star to step up in the line after Captain Vijayakanth.

Although the TVK was launched in 2024, he has been looked at as a social worker and has not been apolitical, given his films, which dealt with drug menace, corruption and other socio-political issues. While there has been speculation of him entering politics since 2009, Vijay has involved himself in social work." 

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