In less than a week after taking office, Vijay has stitched together a 35-member coalition ministry that reflects regional balance, alliance compulsions and a deliberate attempt to signal a break from Tamil Nadu’s long-standing two-party political order.
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With Congress, the IUML and the VCK all securing representation in the Cabinet, the new TVK-led government has turned what was once an electoral alliance into a functioning coalition administration — something Tamil Nadu has rarely witnessed in recent decades.
Vijay keeps the power centres
At the heart of the Cabinet remains C Joseph Vijay himself, who has held on to the government’s most influential portfolios, Home, Police, General Administration and Municipal Administration, while also taking charge of Poverty Alleviation and Rural Indebtedness.
The concentration of these departments under the Chief Minister underlines Vijay’s intent to maintain direct control over administration and law-and-order during the formative months of his government.
Also Read | Tamil Nadu Cabinet expansion: Shahjahan, Vanni Arasu sworn in as ministersHe will also oversee Special Programme Implementation, Youth Welfare and departments linked to children, senior citizens and differently abled persons.
Congress returns to power after decades
One of the more politically symbolic developments in the Cabinet formation has been the return of the Congress to governance in Tamil Nadu after nearly six decades.
Congress MLAs Rajesh Kumar S and P Viswanathan were inducted into the ministry with Tourism and Higher Education portfolios respectively.
Their inclusion was quickly followed by the induction of IUML leader A M Shahjahan and VCK legislator Vanni Arasu, taking the number of alliance partners in government to four.
Shahjahan, elected from Papanasam, has been assigned Minorities Welfare, while Vanni Arasu, who won from Tindivanam, will head the newly watched Social Justice portfolio.
The swearing-in of the two ministers also completed the Cabinet’s full constitutional strength of 35.
Big portfolios, fresh faces
Beyond the political messaging, the Cabinet also reflects a strong mix of first-time ministers and administrative balancing. Several ministries central to the government’s economic pitch have gone to younger faces.
N Anand has been entrusted with Rural Development and Water Resources, a portfolio crucial for irrigation and local governance in a state heavily dependent on monsoon management.
Aadhav Arjuna will oversee Public Works and Sports Development, while K G Arunraj has been handed the Health and Family Welfare department.
Senior leader K A Sengottaiyan, who previously held Finance, has been shifted to Revenue and Disaster Management — a move seen in political circles as both strategic and administrative.
S Keerthana will handle Industries, while Kumar R takes charge of Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology and Digital Services — a department expected to play a key role in Vijay’s promised governance overhaul.
Finance has gone to N Marie Wilson, while R Nirmalkumar has been entrusted with Energy Resources and Law.
On the welfare front, Jegadeshwari K has taken over Social Welfare and Women Empowerment, including women welfare schemes and nutrition programmes.
Regional and caste balance visible
The Cabinet composition also reflects careful regional distribution, with ministers drawn from western Tamil Nadu, the delta belt, northern districts and the southern coastal region.
Agriculture and allied sectors have been split across multiple ministers:
Vinoth — Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Srinath — Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare
Kamali S — Animal Husbandry
C Vijayalakshmi — Milk and Dairy Development
Meanwhile, portfolios linked to transport, housing, forests and labour have also been distributed among newly inducted legislators, signalling Vijay’s attempt to broaden representation within the government.
For now, the Cabinet sends a clear political message: the TVK government is positioning itself not merely as a new administration, but as the beginning of a different style of power-sharing in Tamil Nadu politics.
Full list of ministers and what portfolio they hold
1. C Joseph Vijay — Public, General Administration, Home, Police, Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply, Special Programme Implementation, Poverty Alleviation and Rural Indebtedness, Youth Welfare, Welfare of Children, Senior Citizens and Differently Abled Persons
2. N Anand — Rural Development and Water Resources
3. Aadhav Arjuna — Public Works and Sports Development
4. K G Arunraj — Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare
4. P Venkataramanan — Food and Civil Supplies
6. S Keerthana — Industries
7. R Nirmalkumar — Energy Resources and Law
8. K A Sengottaiyan — Revenue and Disaster Management
9. Srinath — Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare
10. Kamali S — Animal Husbandry
11. C Vijayalakshmi — Milk and Dairy Development
12. RV Ranjithkumar — Forests
13. Vinoth — Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
14. Rajeev — Environment and Climate Change
15. B Rajkumar — Housing and Urban Development
16. V Gandhiraj — Cooperation
17. Mathan Raja P — MSMEs
18. Jegadeshwari K — Social Welfare and Women Empowerment
19. Rajesh Kumar S — Tourism
20. M Vijay Balaji — Handlooms, Textiles and Khadi
21. Logesh Tamilselvan D — Commercial Taxes and Registration
22. Vijay Tamilan Parthiban A — Transport
23. Ramesh — Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments
24. Rajmohan — School Education, Tamil Development, Information and Publicity
25. P Viswanathan — Higher Education
26. Dr T K Prabhu — Natural Resources
27. Kumar R — Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology and Digital Services
28. Thennarasu K — Non-Resident Tamils Welfare
29. V Sampath Kumar — Backward Classes Welfare
30. Mohamed Farvas J — Labour Welfare and Skill Development
31. D Sarathkumar — Human Resources Management
32. N Marie Wilson — Finance, Planning and Development
33. Vignesh K — Prohibition and Excise
34. A M Shahjahan — Minorities Welfare
35. Vanni Arasu — Social Justice
