Vijay To Expand Tamil Nadu Cabinet This Week, 2 Congress MLAs Likely To Be Inducted

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay is preparing for the first expansion of his TVK-led Cabinet, with sources indicating that two Congress MLAs will be inducted into the ministry later this week.

According to sources, a formal letter informing Lok Bhavan about the proposed Cabinet expansion will be sent soon, setting the stage for the inclusion of Congress representatives in the government.

The move comes days after Vijay unveiled his maiden Cabinet while retaining several heavyweight portfolios, including Home, Police, General Administration, Municipal Administration and key welfare departments.

The Congress, which snapped ties with the DMK after the Assembly elections and aligned with Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), had won five seats.

Cabinet berths for Congress leaders had been anticipated since several major portfolios were left unallocated in the initial ministry formation.

Among the departments that are still vacant are Transport, Revenue, Cooperation, Agriculture, Forests, Environment, Housing, Information Technology, Tourism, Textiles, Dairy Development, Minority Welfare and the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.

Vijay’s decision to personally retain politically sensitive departments such as Home, Police, Women and Child Welfare, Urban Development and Special Programme Implementation was widely seen as an attempt to maintain direct political control over governance and welfare delivery.

In the first Cabinet formation, N Anand emerged as the number two in government with the Rural Development and Water Resources portfolios, while Aadhav Arjuna was handed Public Works and Sports Development.

Former IRS officer Dr KG Arunraj was made Health Minister, while AIADMK veteran KA Sengottaiyan, who backed TVK suring trust vote on the floor of the House, was entrusted with the Finance portfolio.

One of the standout appointments in Vijay’s Cabinet was Selvi S Keerthana, who became Tamil Nadu’s first woman Industries Minister.

The upcoming expansion is expected to further strengthen Vijay’s coalition arrangement as the fledgling TVK government continues to rely on support from allies after falling short of a majority on its own in the Assembly.

TVK had won 108 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election, 10 short of the majority mark, and formed the government with outside support from alliance partners.

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