Vijay Expands Tamil Nadu Cabinet, Congress Returns To Power After 59 Years

On Thursday, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay added 23 more lawmakers to his Cabinet, two of whom were from the Congress. This was the grand old party's return to power in Tamil Nadu after nearly 60 years.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to the minister-designates during the swearing-in event at the Lok Bhavan. Srinath, S Kamali, C Vijayalakshmi, and R. V. Ranjithkumar were among the TVK MLAs who were first sworn in as ministers.

P Viswanathan, who won from the Melur segment, and S Rajesh Kumar, who represented Killiyoor, were sworn in as ministers by the Congress party.

AICC in charge of Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, said the inclusion of his party MLAs in the Cabinet heralded a "turning point" in the political history of Tamil Nadu.

"Congress cadres have been striving for power for the last 59 years and have been working for it with loyalty and dedication. Now, they have got it," Chodankar said, according to PTI.

Congress Lok Sabha (Karur) MP Jothimani said in a statement: "After 59 years, two members of the Congress party have taken up positions in the Tamil Nadu Cabinet. This is a highly joyful moment for the Congress party. Heartfelt congratulations to elder brother Viswanathan and younger brother Rajeshkumar! May this responsibility turn out to be a great opportunity to render exemplary service to the people of Tamil Nadu." Also, Congress supporters hailed on social media the inclusion of party MLAs in the Cabinet on May 21, the death anniversary of iconic leader Rajiv Gandhi.

Three of the 23 MLAs who were sworn in as ministers are women. The first person to take the oath was Vijay's friend Srinath, who was elected from the Thoothukudi Assembly segment. N Marie Wilson and Mohamed Farvas J belonged to the minority groups.

Congress leader Rajesh Kumar was corrected by Governor Arlekar during the oath-taking process and advised to stick to the written oath. While reading out the oath from a paper, he suddenly hailed Congress leaders Kamaraj, Rajiv Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, spontaneously prompting the Governor to say, "That is not part of your oath."

The Cabinet expansion marks the Congress's return to government in Tamil Nadu after nearly six decades, as the Dravidian majors--DMK and AIADMK-- have never accommodated allies, including the national party that has aligned with both parties at different points in time. The last Congress chief minister was M Bhakthavatsalam, and he helmed Tamil Nadu, then known as Madras state, from 1963 to 1967.

Dravidian leader and DMK founder CN Annadaurai led the party to a stunning victory over the then-ruling Congress in 1967, ushering in the first non-Congress administration in post-independence India.

Aadhav Arjuna, the top leader of TVK and Minister for Public Works and Sports Development, claimed on Wednesday that Chief Minister Vijay wanted the Congress, VCK, and IUML to join the cabinet.