Tamil Nadu Gets First Coalition Government as CM C. Joseph Vijay Expands TVK Cabinet to 35 Ministers

Tamil Nadu has witnessed the formation of its first-ever coalition government, led by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, after a gap of 72 years in the state’s political history.

A total of 35 ministers have now taken oath in the new Tamil Nadu Cabinet, including 31 ministers from TVK, two from the Congress party, one from Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and one from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).

The coalition government was formed after TVK emerged as the single largest party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election by winning 108 seats. However, since the party fell short of the majority mark, it secured support from Congress, CPI(M), CPI, VCK, and IUML to form the government.

Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay was sworn in on May 10 along with nine ministers. Later, the Cabinet was expanded in phases, with 23 ministers sworn in on Thursday and two more ministers inducted on Friday.

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi administered the oath of office and secrecy to the ministers during the swearing-in ceremonies held at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai.

The Cabinet expansion also confirmed that dissident AIADMK MLAs who supported the TVK government during the trust vote would not be included in the ministry.

The development is historically significant as it marks:

• Tamil Nadu’s first coalition government
• Congress joining the Tamil Nadu Cabinet after 59 years

Congress MLAs S. Rajesh Kumar and P. Viswanathan were inducted as ministers in the new Cabinet.

Key Ministers and Portfolios

Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay retained major portfolios including General Administration, Home, Police, Special Programme Implementation, and Welfare of Differently-Abled Persons.

N. Anand was assigned Rural Development and Water Resources, while K.A. Sengottaiyan received Revenue and Disaster Management.

Aadhav Arjuna was given Public Works and Sports Development, and K.G. Arunraj became Minister for Health and Family Welfare.

R. Nirmal Kumar took charge of Energy Resources and Law, while Rajmohan was allotted School Education, Tamil Development, Information, and Publicity.

Srinath became Fisheries Minister, Kamali S was assigned Animal Husbandry, and C. Vijayalakshmi took charge of Milk and Dairy Development.

R. Vinoth became Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, and Rajeev was assigned Environment, Pollution Control, and Climate Change.

P. Rajkumar was appointed Housing and Urban Development Minister, while V. Gandhiraj received the Co-operation portfolio.

Mathan Raja became MSME Minister, and K. Jegadeeshwari took charge of Social Welfare and Women Empowerment.

Congress leader S. Rajesh Kumar was given Tourism, while P. Viswanathan became Higher Education Minister.

R. Kumar was assigned the newly important Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology, and Digital Services portfolio.

N. Maria Wilson took charge of Finance, Planning, and Development, while K. Vignesh became Minister for Prohibition and Excise.

Vanni Arasu was allotted Adi Dravidar Welfare, and Shajahan received the Minority Welfare portfolio.

The formation of the coalition government under Chief Minister Vijay is being viewed as a major political shift in Tamil Nadu politics, bringing together multiple alliance partners under a single administration for the first time in the state’s history.