The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government on Thursday, May 21, expanded its cabinet by inducting another 23 legislators including two Congress MLAs, as ministers. While Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MLAs were also expected to be part of the cabinet, it is reliably learnt that these parties have not yet picked their nominees.
The minister-designates are MLAs Srinath, Kamali S, C Vijayalakshmi, RV Ranjithkumar, Vinoth, Rajeev, B Rajkumar, V Gandhiraj, Mathan Raja P, Jegadeshwari K, Rajesh Kumar S, M Vijay Balaji, Logesh Tamilselvan D, Vijay Tamilan Parthiban A, Ramesh, P Viswanathan, Kumar R, Thennarasu K, V Sampath Kumar, Mohammad Farvas V, D Sarathkumar, N Marie Wilson, and Vignesh K.
The Congress legislators who are nominated as ministers are Killiyoor MLA Rajesh Kumar and Melur MLA P Viswanathan. After a gap of 59 years, since 1967, the Congress is now in governance in the state with its post-poll ally TVK.
Thoothukudi MLA Srinath, who is a close friend of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, was also offered a ministerial berth. The MLA previously worked as a director and comedian in films.
Notably, the TVK did not offer cabinet posts to any of the AIADMK legislators from the splinter group. The CPI(M), which had offered external support to the fragile government, had threatened to withdraw its support if AIADMK MLAs were given cabinet posts.
Meanwhile, with this latest cabinet expansion, the total number of Dalit ministers in the Vijay-led government has increased to seven. They include Rajmohan (Egmore), Kamali S (Avanashi), V Gandhiraj (Arakkonam), Mathan Raja (Ottapidaram) P, Logesh Tamilselvan (Rasipuram), Viswanathan (Melur), and Thennarasu K (Srirperumbudur).
The induction of Rasipuram MLA Logesh Tamilselvan as a Minister marks a significant moment in Tamil Nadu's politics. He is the son of former Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, whose story was the inspiration behind the movie Maamannan (2023), starring Vadivelu and Udhayanidhi Stalin.
Former CM J Jayalalithaa had earned accolades for making Dhanapal, who belonged to the marginalised Arunthathiyar community, an Assembly Speaker.
Logesh was previously a member of the AIADMK and had contested in the 2024 Parliamentary elections. He quit the party and joined the TVK after allegedly being sidelined by the Edappadi-led AIADMK.
According to reports, the TVK government was keen on inducting VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan into the cabinet. However, he reportedly did not show interest.
A day earlier, Minister for Public Works and Sports Development Aadhav Arjuna had revealed that the TVK had invited VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan to be part of the Council of Ministers. “This is the wish of the Chief Minister as well. Similarly, the IUML should also join the Council of Ministers. We have conveyed our invitation to the IUML leaders,” he said.
It is speculated that VCK MLA Vanni Arasu, who won from Tindivanam constituency, and IUML MLA Syed Farooq Basha from Vaniyambadi, would be inducted into the cabinet at a later date.