Chennai: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay expanded his cabinet on Tuesday, with 23 new ministers taking oath at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan in Chennai. The expansion brings the total number of ministers in the state to 33, leaving two portfolios—Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare, and Minorities Welfare—vacant. These are expected to be filled by MLAs from the VCK and IUML parties.
Key Appointments
Chennai gained two additional cabinet berths as R K Nagar MLA Marie Wilson was appointed Finance Minister, and Velachery MLA R Kumar became the Minister for AI and IT. In a surprising move, Marie Wilson, a first-time MLA, was given the crucial finance portfolio, replacing the experienced K A Sengottaiyan, who has been reassigned as Revenue Minister.
Districts Without Representation
Nineteen districts currently have no ministerial representation: Nilgiris, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli, Theni, Dindigul, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Tirupathur, Ariyalur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Perambalur, Tiruvarur, Dharmapuri, Karur, and Krishnagiri.
Long-Time Associates and Coalition
Sixteen of the new ministers are long-time associates of Chief Minister Vijay. This cabinet is historic as it is the first coalition government in Tamil Nadu since independence, with Congress MLAs S Rajesh Kumar and P Viswanathan receiving the Tourism and Higher Education portfolios, respectively.
Dalit and Women Representation
For the first time, the Tamil Nadu cabinet includes seven Dalit ministers. Additionally, four women have been appointed as ministers: Industries Minister S Keerthana, Animal Husbandry Minister S Kamali, Milk and Dairy Development Minister C Vijayalakshmi, and Women and Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Minister K Jagadeeshwari.
