Congress Returns to Tamil Nadu Government After 59 Years, Two MLAs Join CM Vijay’s Expanding Cabinet

For the first time in nearly six decades, Congress secures two ministerial posts in Tamil Nadu as S. Rajesh Kumar and P. Viswanathan take oath under Chief Minister Vijay’s TVK-led coalition government, marking a historic shift in the state’s political landscape.

A Historic Oath After Six Decades

Chennai witnessed a quiet but politically loaded moment on Thursday two Congress MLAs were sworn in as ministers in the Tamil Nadu cabinet, ending a 59-year absence of the grand old party from the state’s council of ministers. S. Rajesh Kumar and P. Viswanathan took their oath of office and secrecy at Lok Bhavan in Chennai. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath to the newly inducted ministers. This is the first time Congress holds ministerial positions in the Tamil Nadu government since 1967.

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Venugopal Calls It a Watershed Moment

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal announced the induction earlier this week. He called it a defining moment for the party one long overdue. “This is a historic occasion for us, as the Congress joins the Tamil Nadu cabinet after a gap of nearly six decades,” he said. The party president Mallikarjun Kharge gave his formal approval to the induction of both MLAs. Venugopal extended his wishes to Rajesh Kumar and Viswanathan expressing confidence they would work toward public welfare.

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Portfolios and Roles in the New Cabinet

Rajesh Kumar the Congress Legislature Party leader is expected to take charge of the Tourism portfolio. P. Viswanathan is likely to head Higher Education. With these two inductions, the total strength of the Council of Ministers now stands at 33. Of these, 21 are from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and two are Congress ministers. The Council’s sanctioned strength is capped at 35. CM Vijay had first taken oath on May 10 along with nine other ministers at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.

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TVK Falls Short, Coalition Steps In

The 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections delivered a landmark verdict but an incomplete majority. TVK contested its very first state election and won 108 seats out of 234. The majority mark stood at 118 a gap of 10 seats. To form the government, TVK reached out to Congress, CPI, CPI(M), VCK, and IUML all of whom extended support. It was also the first election in Tamil Nadu’s history where both legacy Dravidian parties the DMK and AIADMK failed to form the government.

Congress Breaks Its Alliance Pattern

Historically, Congress in Tamil Nadu played a junior role always aligned with Dravidian parties but never directly joining a state government. This time, the party chose a different path partnering with actor-turned-politician Vijay’s TVK to help form the government. TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna described the cabinet expansion as a historic power-sharing arrangement. He added that CM Vijay personally requested that VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan be invited to join the cabinet.

“One Family” Vijay’s Vision for the Cabinet

Aadhav Arjuna has been vocal about Vijay’s approach to governance. “The Chief Minister wants the cabinet to function like one family,” Arjuna said. “The Chief Minister wants the parties that extended support to be represented in the cabinet,” he added. Congress leader Girish Chodankar echoed this sentiment saying the voters had asked for exactly this kind of coalition. “Our cadres were fighting for having a share in power today the people of Tamil Nadu have voted for a coalition government,” he said. “They wanted a secular, progressive government.”

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VCK and IUML Also Invited

Beyond Congress, TVK has extended formal invitations to two more coalition partners VCK and IUML to join the expanded cabinet. Further expansion details are expected soon. The cabinet currently has two unfilled berths remaining within the sanctioned strength. The inclusion of multiple alliance partners marks a clean break from Tamil Nadu’s tradition of single-party Dravidian-dominated governments and sets the tone for Vijay’s coalition-era governance model.