Tamil Nadu Cabinet expansion: Vijay inducts Srinath, Wilson among 23 Ministers
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has approved the recommendation of Chief Minister Vijay to induct 23 MLAs into the Tamil Nadu Council of Ministers, marking the first major Cabinet expansion of the newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government.
Raj Bhavan confirmed that the Governor had formally accepted the Chief Minister’s recommendation to appoint the legislators as ministers.
The swearing-in ceremony for the ministers-designate took place on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at 10 a.m. at Lok Bhavan in Chennai.
The Cabinet expansion is being viewed as a significant political move by the Vijay-led administration as it seeks to balance regional representation, caste equations, and governance priorities including maintaining alliance balance.
The event was attended by VCK Chief Thol Thirumavalavan, who is an alliance partner of the newly formed TVK government.
In the cabinet expansion event, Vande Mataram was first sung amid controversies.
The 23 legislators selected for ministerial berths represent constituencies spread across Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, Coimbatore, Salem, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore, Thoothukudi, and Kanyakumari districts. The list includes 23 ministers–21 ministers from TVK and two ministers from the Congress.
Among those to be inducted are Vijay’s friend Srinath from Thoothukudi, Kamali S from Avinashi, C. Vijayalakshmi from Kumarapalayam, R.V. Ranjithkumar from Kancheepuram, and Vinoth from Kumbakonam.
The list also includes Rajeev from Thiruvadanai, B. Rajkumar from Cuddalore, V. Gandhiraj from Arakkonam, Mathan Raja P from Ottapidaram, and Jegadeshwari K from Rajapalayam.
Other ministers-designate are Rajesh Kumar S from Killiyoor, M. Vijay Balaji from Erode East, Logesh Tamilselvan D from Rasipuram, Vijay Tamilan Parthiban A from Salem South, and Ramesh from Srirangam.
Full Tamil Nadu Cabinet List:
Srinath (214 Thoothukudi Assembly Constituency)
Kamali. S (112 Avinashi Assembly Constituency)
C. Vijayalakshmi (97 Kumarapalayam Assembly Constituency)
R.V. Ranjithkumar (37 Kancheepuram Assembly Constituency)
Vinoth (171 Kumbakonam Assembly Constituency)
Rajeev (210 Thiruvadanai Assembly Constituency)
B. Rajkumar (155 Cuddalore Assembly Constituency)
V. Gandhiraj (38 Arakkonam Assembly Constituency)
Mathan Raja. P (217 Ottapidaram Assembly Constituency)
Jegadeshwari. K (202 Rajapalayam Assembly Constituency)
Rajesh Kumar. S (234 Killiyoor Assembly Constituency)
M. Vijay Balaji (98 Erode East Assembly Constituency)
Logesh Tamilselvan D (92 Rasipuram Assembly Constituency)
Vijay Tamilan Parthiban. A (90 Salem South Assembly Constituency)
Ramesh (139 Srirangam Assembly Constituency)
P. Viswanathan (188 Melur Assembly Constituency)
Kumar. R (26 Velachery Assembly Constituency)
Thennarasu. K (29 Sriperumpudhur Assembly Constituency)
V. Sampath Kumar (118 Coimbatore North Assembly Constituency)
Mohamed Farvas. J (183 Aranthangi Assembly Constituency)
D. Sarathkumar (31 Tambaram Assembly Constituency)
N. Marie Wilson (11 Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar Assembly Constituency)
Vignesh K (122 Kinathukadavu Assembly Constituency)
The expansion comes at a crucial time for the new government, which has already faced political scrutiny over recent administrative decisions and tender-related controversies. Political observers believe the induction of new ministers could help strengthen the administration’s governance structure and improve coordination across departments.