Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has carried out a major expansion and reshuffle of his 33-member Council of Ministers, allocating portfolios to newly inducted ministers and revising certain existing departments. According to the latest revised allocation issued by Lok Bhavan, KA Sengottaiyan has been redesignated as Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management, with the Finance portfolio removed entirely. N Marie Wilson has been entrusted with the Finance, Pensions and Pensionary Benefits, and Planning and Development portfolios, marking a significant reshuffle in the state's financial administration. For the first time, a separate ministry has been created for Artificial Intelligence, with R Kumar allocated this portfolio along with Information Technology and Digital Services. As per Political Pulse News, Velachery MLA R Kumar, a businessman and engineering graduate who recently completed a leadership programme at IIM Bangalore, represents the technocratic-administrative face the TVK increasingly wants associated with its government.
The Indian National Congress (INC) has returned to power in Tamil Nadu after 59 years, since 1967. The latest cabinet expansion saw the induction of 23 new ministers — 21 from the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and two legislators from the Congress. Among the newly inducted ministers are Srinath (Thoothukudi), Kamali S (Avinashi), C Vijayalakshmi (Kumarapalayam), RV Ranjithkumar (Kancheepuram), Vinoth (Kumbakonam), Rajeev (Thiruvadanai), B Rajkumar (Cuddalore), V Gandhiraj (Arakkonam), Mathan Raja P (Ottapidaram), Jegadeshwari K. (Rajapalayam) and M Vijay Balaji (Erode East). The new 33-member Tamil Nadu cabinet focuses on social inclusion by including seven Dalit ministers in key positions, with the ministry also including four women ministers and a notable cluster of first-generation politicians who rose through Vijay's fan-club-turned-political-network structure. AICC Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar described the Congress' entry into the Tamil Nadu Cabinet as a "turning point" in the state's political history, stating that "Congress cadres have worked with loyalty and dedication for power for the last 59 years. Now, they have finally achieved it."
Congress MLA S Rajesh Kumar (Killiyoor) has been made Minister for Tourism and allotted the Tourism and Tourism Development Corporation departments, while Congress legislator P Viswanathan (Melur) has been allotted Higher Education. Among the newly inducted ministers, Srinath has been made Minister for Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare and allotted the Fisheries and Fisheries Development Corporation departments, Kamali S has been given Animal Husbandry, and C Vijayalakshmi was allotted the Milk and Dairy Development portfolio. RV Ranjithkumar was assigned the Forests portfolio, Vinoth has been appointed Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and Rajeev was allotted the Environment, Pollution Control Board and Climate Change departments. Notably, S Ramesh, the articulate media wing coordinator of the TVK, was allotted Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, a politically sensitive portfolio in a state where temple administration remains deeply intertwined with Dravidian politics. The cabinet also includes Mohamed Farvas J and N Marie Wilson among ministers from minority communities, with V Sampath Kumar as Minister for Backward Classes Welfare and D Sarathkumar as Minister for Human Resources Management.
Out of 23 new ministers sworn in at Raj Bhavan, 21 are from the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), while the remaining two posts have been given to its ally, the INC. The newly formed Tamil Nadu government has kept two cabinet posts vacant for the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), with both parties expected to join in the next phase of expansion. The VCK has already sent a formal letter expressing its willingness to join the cabinet, while the IUML is expected to take a final decision. Notably, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has agreed to join the government but is yet to finalise its nominee for a ministerial berth. Senior TVK leader and Minister for Public Works and Sports Development Aadhav Arjuna publicly invited the Congress, VCK and IUML to join the government, saying it reflected chief minister Vijay's wish. Congress MP Manickam Tagore said the Cabinet induction had created strong political momentum for the alliance, stating that "With Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate, this alliance can sweep all 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone Puducherry seat in 2029."
The Cabinet expansion brings the total strength to 33 ministers, leaving room for only two more ministers under the constitutional framework. According to official sources, one representative each from the VCK and IUML may be inducted later, while the possibility of rebel AIADMK MLAs joining the Cabinet appears unlikely. Under Article 164(1A) of the Constitution, the size of a state Cabinet cannot exceed 15 per cent of the strength of the Assembly. With the Tamil Nadu Assembly having 234 members, the state can have a maximum of 35 ministers, including the chief minister. During the swearing-in ceremony at Lok Bhavan, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly inducted ministers, with TVK MLAs Srinath, S Kamali, C Vijayalakshmi and R V Ranjithkumar among the first to take oath. The ceremony was held hours before the allocation, with Governor Arlekar briefly interrupting Congress leader Rajesh Kumar after he spontaneously hailed Congress icons K Kamaraj, Rajiv Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi while reading out the oath, remarking "That is not part of your oath."
