Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay-led Tamil Nadu Cabinet on Thursday (May 21, 2026) expanded from 10 to 33 with the induction of 23 new MLAs, including two from the Congress, making it the State’s first coalition government.

Meet the new Ministers in Tamil Nadu CM Vijay’s expanded Cabinet

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to the Ministers-designate at Lok Bhavan in Chennai in the presence of Mr. Vijay. With the induction of Congress MLAs into the Cabinet, the party has joined the government after 59 years.

The Cabinet expansion took place almost 10 days after Mr. Vijay and nine other MLAs, all from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), were sworn in as Chief Minister and Ministers, respectively, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on May 10.

Mr. Vijay’s Cabinet is likely to undergo one more round of expansion, as the TVK has extended an open invitation to the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), both of which contested as part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) and have two MLAs each.

The newly inducted Ministers are A. Srinath (Thoothukudi), S. Kamali (Avinashi), C. Vijayalakshmi (Kumarapalayam), R.V. Ranjithkumar (Kancheepuram), V.K. Rajeev (Thiruvadanai), R. Vinoth (Kumbakonam), B. Rajkumar (Cuddalore), V. Gandhiraj (Arakkonam), P. Mathan Raja (Ottapidaram), K. Jegadeeshwari (Rajapalayam), S. Rajesh Kumar (Killiyoor), M. Vijay Balaji (Erode East), D. Logesh Tamilselvan (Rasipuram), A. Vijay Tamilan Parthiban (Salem South), S. Ramesh (Srirangam), P. Viswanathan (Melur), R. Kumar (Velachery), K. Thennarasu (Sriperumbudur), V. Sampathkumar (Coimbatore North), J. Mohamed Farvas (Aranthangi), D. Sarathkumar (Tambaram), N. Marie Wilson (Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar), and K. Vignesh (Kinathukadavu).

Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar, former Speaker P. Dhanapal, Ministers, All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Tamil Nadu Girish Chodankar, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president K. Selvaperunthagai, VCK president Thol. Thirumavalavan, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) State secretary P. Shanmugam, and Communist Party of India (CPI) State secretary M. Veerapandian, were among others present.

Civic agencies and government departments will start identifying land for implementing infrastructure projects, including a medical college, engineering college, arts college, and higher secondary school in Villivakkam, said Minister Aadhav Arjuna.

Addressing the media after the first review meeting with civic officials on Thursday, he said: “The Chief Minister has ordered MLAs to conduct a review meeting in the presence of officials of various departments to resolve civic issues and develop civic infrastructure in the constituencies.”

“In Villivakkam, the civic agencies will identify land for projects in 10 days. During our election campaign, we have collected information about civic issues in Villivakkam constituency. We have discussed the issues with officials and will implement infrastructure projects,” he said.

Mr. Aadhav Arjuna said drug culture and women safety were a major concern. “We will close Tasmac outlets near schools and places of worship. Of the 11 tasmac shops in Villivakkam, we intend to close six shops. Women have complained that they could not walk along such stretches. Officials will identify traders who illegally sell liquor after Tasmac outlets are closed.”

“We have instructed officials to ensure women’s safety. The electricity supply is a major problem. Over 50% of the stretches do not have pipelines for water supply. We will resolve such issues. Storm-water drains will be readied before the onset of the monsoon,” he said.

He stressed the need for improving CCTV surveillance along the streets and government offices. The complaints given by women have to be video recorded at police stations, he said.

The Tamil Nadu government, under Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, on Thursday (May 14, 2026) announced that it needed time to “restructure” the ’Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai’ programme. The monthly grant for women beneficiaries due for the month of May would be credited into their bank accounts soon, an official release stated.

During the election campaign, Mr. Vijay had announced that after his party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), was elected to power, it would, through the ‘Madhippumigu Magalir Thittam’, provide a sum of ₹2,500 as monthly assistance to “all women up to 60 years of age, who are heads of families.”

However, he had clarified that families with employees of Union and State governments would not be eligible for the grant. “By doing this, more number of women will get to benefit,” Mr. Vijay had announced during a party meeting in Mamallapuram in March this year. At present, the grant is ₹1,000 a month to beneficiaries, under the ‘Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai’ programme launched by the erstwhile DMK government.

The programme was initiated to provide the monthly rights grant to women heads of families, intending to “recognise the hard work of women who work tirelessly throughout their lives for their families.”

Women beneficiaries who are above 21 years of age from families earning an annual income below ₹2.5 lakh are among those eligible to benefit from the programme. Only the woman head of the family per household (family card holders) is eligible to receive the grant.

Nine Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Ministers are expected to be sworn in on the morning of Sunday (May 10, 2026), along with Chief Minister-designate C. Joseph Vijay.

Also read: Tamil Nadu Government formation highlights on May 9, 2026

Those who have made it to the list submitted to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar are N. Anand (elected from T. Nagar); Aadhav Arjuna (Villivakkam); K.G. Arunraj (Tiruchengodu); K.A. Sengottaiyan (Gobichettypalayam); P. Venkataramanan (Mylapore); C.T.R. Nirmalkumar (Thirupparankundram); A. Rajmohan (Egmore); T.K. Prabhu (Karaikudi); and S. Keerthana (Sivakasi).

Including Mr. Vijay (who has been elected from Perambur and Tiruchi East), Chennai will have five Ministers. As for the western belt, there will be two Ministers and the south, three. As of now, there will be one representative each for women and Scheduled Castes (SC).  Portfolios for all the Ministers are likely to be announced later.

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) president Thol. Thirumavalavan and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) national president K.M. Kader Mohideen on Saturday (May 9, 2026) extended unconditional support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to form the government in Tamil Nadu.

In identically worded letters, similar to those sent by the Left parties and addressed to the Governor, Mr. Thirumavalavan and Mr. Mohideen said their respective parties extended unconditional support to the TVK, under the leadership of party president C. Joseph Vijay, to form the government. Both parties have two MLAs-elect each. They contested as a part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance.

The letter of support from the IUML came as a surprise, as Mr. Mohideen had previously stated the party remained firmly within the DMK-led alliance and had not issued any letter backing the party led by Mr. Vijay.

With the backing of the VCK and the IUML, the TVK now has the support of 120 MLAs-elect, (as Mr. Vijay contested from two seats), two more than the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member House. The TVK, which won 108 seats, had already secured the support of five Congress MLAs-elect and two each from the CPI and the CPI(M).

M.K. Stalin, president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and outgoing Chief Minister, on Thursday (May 7, 2026) hurriedly convened a meeting of the party’s allies, including the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), the Communist Party of India (CPI), and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), amid speculation that the DMK may extend support to an All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government headed by Edappadi K. Palaniswami.

CPI(M) State secretary P. Shanmugam, CPI State secretary M. Veerapandian, and VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan were among those who rushed to Mr. Stalin’s Cenotaph Road residence to attend the meeting. Senior leaders of the DMDK also took part.

Though Mr. Stalin is said to be firm that supporting an AIADMK government would be politically untenable, senior DMK leaders, including some senior outgoing Ministers, were reportedly pressuring him to consider such a proposal.

“Once Mr. Vijay forms the government, it will be difficult to unseat him for the next 10 to 15 years. The Dravidian parties have to take a decision to prevent such an eventuality,” a senior DMK leader said.

The argument within the DMK is that, since Mr. Stalin would not be in the Assembly, the DMK and the AIADMK could evolve a common minimum programme and jointly run the government.

It is against this backdrop that Mr. Stalin invited the Left leaders and Mr. Thirumavalavan for consultations. Depending on the views expressed by the alliance partners, the DMK legislators’ meeting scheduled for this evening is expected to take a final call.

However, previously, DMK MP Kalanidhi Veerasamy, said the DMK had decided to function as an effective opposition despite “Congress betrayal”. In a social media message, he alleged that the AIADMK was pushing the BJP to stop the TVK from forming the government. “This is disrespecting the people’s mandate. Hope democracy prevails,” he said.

The announcement of the Tamil Nadu State Board exam results for Class 12 has been postponed, said officials from the School Education Department on Wednesday (May 6, 2026).

The results were previously slated to be announced on May 8. The officials from the Directorate of Government Examinations said that the results are being processed at present, and that a new date will be announced later.

Sources in the department noted that the announcement of the results was pushed as the new government in the State is yet to be formed. As many as 8,16,289 students had written the Class 12 exams, which began on March 2 and ended on March 26.