Tamil Nadu Cabinet Expands with Two New Ministers

Vanni Arasu and AM Shahjahan took oath as ministers in the Tamil Nadu cabinet on Friday after chief minister Vijay inducted two more members into his council of ministers as part of the ongoing cabinet expansion. Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to the two legislators during a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan in Chennai. The induction of the VCK and IUML legislators came following recommendations made by Vijay and approved by the Governor. The move is being seen as part of the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government's effort to strengthen its coalition representation in the cabinet. Vanni Arasu, who represents the Tindivanam Assembly constituency, was inducted from the Thol. Thirumavalavan-led Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), while Shahjahan represents the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) from the Papanasam constituency. The latest expansion comes a day after CM Vijay carried out a major cabinet reshuffle and expansion, inducting several TVK legislators into key ministries. On Thursday, TVK MLA B Rajkumar was assigned the Housing and Urban Development portfolio, Vijay Tamilan Parthiban A was given the Transport Ministry, RV Ranjithkumar took charge as Forest Minister, V Sampath Kumar was allocated the Backward Classes Welfare portfolio and V Gandhiraj was made Co-operation Minister. With the latest inductions, the Tamil Nadu cabinet now has 33 ministers. However, two portfolios: Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare and Minorities Welfare are still vacant and are expected to be allocated later. The Vijay-led government has also drawn attention for creating a dedicated Artificial Intelligence (AI) department at the cabinet level, making Tamil Nadu the second state after Kerala to establish such a ministry. Vijay has retained key portfolios including Home, Police, Municipal Administration and Water Supply. He also continues to oversee Special Initiatives, Poverty Alleviation and Rural Indebtedness. The Women Welfare portfolio, earlier under the chief minister’s office, has now been reassigned to K Jegadeshwari, who has been designated Minister for Social Welfare and Women Empowerment. Among other major allocations, TVK MLA N Marie Wilson from Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar has been appointed Finance Minister, replacing senior leader KA Sengottaiyan, who has now been given the Revenue department. The cabinet also includes Congress MLAs S Rajesh Kumar and P Viswanathan, making it the first coalition government cabinet formed in Tamil Nadu since Independence. The new ministry has also marked a significant increase in representation for Dalits and women. The cabinet currently includes seven Dalit ministers and four women ministers, including Industries Minister S Keerthana, Animal Husbandry Minister S Kamali, Milk and Dairy Development Minister C Vijayalakshmi and Social Welfare Minister K Jagadeeshwari.