Two Congress legislators were among 23 ministers inducted into Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay-led council of ministers on Thursday, making the party a part of the government in the southern state for the first time in 59 years. The Congress lost power in Tamil Nadu in 1967.
Four new ministries were also announced —one for artificial intelligence, information technology and digital services, second for human resources management, third for prohibition and excise, and a fourth one for the welfare of non-resident Tamilians.
Congress MLAs S Rajesh Kumar and P Viswanathan took the oath as ministers in the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government a day after party chief Mallikarjun Kharge approved their induction.
The addition of S Kamali, K Jegadeshwari, and C Vijayalakshmi on Thursday brought the number of women ministers in the state to four.
Chief Minister Vijay kept the home, police, municipal administration, urban, and water supply portfolios. Additionally, the departments for special initiatives, poverty alleviation and rural indebtedness will be under him.
The women welfare portfolio, previously held by the CM, was reassigned to K Jegadeshwari, who has been designated as the social welfare and women empowerment minister.
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Eleven legislators inducted on Thursday were under the age of 40. Six of them belong to the Scheduled Caste community.
The fresh inductions increased the number of ministers in Vijay’s government to 33. It was the first expansion of Vijay’s council of ministers since he was sworn in along with nine others on May 10. Most of the ministers in the government are first-time lawmakers, graduates, and Vijay’s loyalists.
The Congress, which has five lawmakers in the Tamil Nadu assembly, was among the first parties to back TVK (108 seats) when it fell short of a majority in the 234-member assembly. It quit the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance to back the TVK-led grouping.
Left parties, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) also backed the TVK as Vijay formed the first coalition government in what is now Tamil Nadu since 1952.
The IUML has decided to join the cabinet, party chief K M Khader Mohideen said on Thursday. “Among the two legislators, we have decided to nominate Papanasam MLA, AM Shahjahan, to join the cabinet,” he said. The IUML’s decision followed the TVK’s formal invitation to join the cabinet.
Top IUML leaders called on CM Vijay to discuss the move at a meeting.
TVK general secretary Aadhav Arjuna said on Wednesday that the party had invited the Congress which won 5 seats, the IUML and the VCK, which won two seats each to join the cabinet.
The VCK is yet to clarify whether either of its two MLAs will be nominated to join the council of ministers.
