Two Congress MLAs from Tamil Nadu will take oath as ministers in the C Joseph Vijay-led government on Thursday, marking the party’s return to the state cabinet after nearly six decades, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal announced on Wednesday.
MLAs Rajesh Kumar and P Vishwanathan are set to join the Tamil Nadu cabinet. Calling it a milestone moment, Venugopal said, “This is a historic occasion for us, as the Congress joins the Tamil Nadu cabinet after a long gap of 59 years,” in a post on X while extending his wishes to the two leaders.
Earlier, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) signalled its intention to broaden the coalition government by inviting alliance partners to participate in the cabinet. Party general secretary Aadhav Arjuna said Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay wants parties committed to social justice to be part of the administration.
“The chief minister has stressed that alliance partners should join the cabinet,” Arjuna told reporters, adding that the government would remain committed to secular and social justice principles. He noted that Left parties had chosen to extend outside support, a decision the government respects.
TVK has also invited Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol Thirumavalavan to join the cabinet and appealed for representation from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). “The chief minister feels the cabinet should function like a family,” Arjuna said, adding that the party hopes Congress, VCK and IUML all become part of the administration.
Congress, which has five MLAs, was among the earliest parties to support Vijay’s TVK after the party fell short of a majority in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. TVK won 108 seats — 10 short of the halfway mark — and subsequently secured backing from several parties to form the government after its strong debut electoral performance.
However, signs of strain within the coalition are already emerging. One of the government’s supporting partners, CPI(M), has reportedly cautioned against any move to accommodate rival AIADMK in the cabinet, potentially setting up early challenges for the newly formed administration.
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