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The new Tamil Nadu Cabinet includes S Keerthana, a woman minister who is also the youngest in the cabinet, a doctor and an ex-IRS officer.
TVK chief and Tiruchirappalli East constituency candidate Vijay. (PTI)(HT_PRINT)TVK founder C Joseph Vijay took oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister today, 10 May. Tamil Nadu's acting Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to Vijay at a gala event in the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.
Vijay is expected to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly through a vote of confidence on or before May 13.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam is the first non-Dravidian party to form the government in the state, breaking the traditional domination of AIADMK and the DMK.
9 TVK MLAs took oath today
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The new Tamil Nadu Cabinet includes TVK leaders such as 'Bussy' N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, Dr K G Arunraj, K A Sengottaiyan, P Venkataramanan, C T R Nirmal Kumar, A Rajmohan, Dr K T Prabhu, and S Keerthana. S Keerthana is noted as the youngest minister and the sole woman representative.
The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is the first non-Dravidian party to form the government in Tamil Nadu, breaking the traditional domination of the AIADMK and DMK. C Joseph Vijay is the first leader outside these two parties to head the state government since 1967.
After winning 108 seats in its debut assembly polls, the TVK secured the necessary support from other parties to cross the majority mark of 118. Key support came from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), bringing the total to 120 MLAs.
Tamil Nadu's acting Governor, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, administered the oath of office to C Joseph Vijay as Chief Minister and to nine TVK MLAs as ministers.
C Joseph Vijay is expected to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly through a vote of confidence on or before May 13.
Arlekar also administered the oath to nine TVK MLAs as ministers, on the recommendation of Vijay, the Lok Bhavan said in a release.
The new Tamil Nadu Cabinet includes S Keerthana, a woman minister who is also the youngest in the cabinet, a doctor and an ex-IRS officer.
All ministers in the first list are from the TVK, with no Congress leader included, despite the party's claims of “definitely” being a part of the Cabinet in the Vijay-led government.
Meet TVK MLAs appointed as Ministers for Tamil Nadu:
- ‘Bussy’ N Anand: A president of Vijay’s fan club association, even before the actor launched his party, Anand became the party’s inaugural General Secretary. A role he continues to serve to date. Anand contested from the Thiyagarayanagar constituency in Chennai, a seat historically dominated by the DMK and AIADMK, and defeated DMK candidate Raja Anbazhagan by securing 51,632 votes.
- Aadhav Arjuna: A political strategist, philanthropist, and President of the Basketball Federation of India, Arjuna was elected as the MLA for Chennai's Villivakkam constituency. He currently serves as TVK's General Secretary for Election Campaign Management, ranking as the party's third-highest official. Before joining TVK, he worked closely alongside MK Stalin, playing a pivotal role in securing the DMK's past electoral success.
- Dr K G Arunraj: A physician and former Indian Revenue Service officer, Arunraj serves as the General Secretary for Policy and Propaganda of TVK. He was elected as the MLA from the Tiruchengodu assembly constituency in Namakkal district.
- K A Sengottaiyan: 78-year-old veteran politician secured a historic 10th consecutive victory from the Gobichettipalayam constituency this year. He exited from the AIADMK in late 2025 to join TVK.
- P Venkataramanan: A practising advocate, Venkataramanan has been the long-serving professional manager for actor Vijay since 2000. He serves as the Treasurer of TVK. He secured a decisive victory in Chennai's prestigious Mylapore constituency by a margin of 28,972 votes over the DMK incumbent, successfully rallying the area's educated youth, professional classes, and traditional urban families around TVK's platform of political change.
- C T R Nirmal Kumar: A prominent digital strategist and the Joint General Secretary of TVK, Kumar previously held senior IT wing leadership roles in both the AIADMK and BJP. He won the Thirupparankundram assembly seat in the 2026 elections.
- A Rajmohan: A media presenter, popular digital content creator, and Deputy General Secretary of TVK, Rajmohan won the reserved Egmore (SC) constituency in Chennai, emerging as the sole Scheduled Caste representative in the initial nine-member cabinet.
- Dr K T Prabhu: A professional dentist and the TVK Secretary for the Sivaganga East District, Prabhu made a commanding entry into the assembly by winning the Karaikudi constituency with a sweeping victory margin of 46,074 votes.
- S Keerthana: The youngest MLA, and the sole woman representative for the initial TVK cabinet, Keerthana holds a postgraduate degree in statistics. She secured a debut victory in the 2026 elections from the Sivakasi constituency.
5-day suspense
The TVK, which created a record by winning 108 seats in its debut assembly polls, scrambled for numbers to cross 118 seats – the majority mark – until 9 May, when VCK, which has two seats, finally extended support.
VCK, a long-time ally of the Left parties that had extended its support to Vijay on Friday, had earlier announced its decision would be in sync with their stand.
Shortly after VCK's decision to back Vijay, another DMK ally, the IUML, also extended support to TVK. IUML has two MLAs.
The drama also witnessed the return of "resort politics" as the five Congress MLAs camped in Hyderabad and TVK legislators in a hotel in Mamallapuram.
Vijay won from two seats in the assembly polls and will resign from one seat.
(With agency inputs)
About the Author
Arshdeep Kaur
Arshdeep Kaur is a Senior Content Producer at Mint, where she reports and edits across national and international politics, business and culture‑adjacent trending stories for digital audience. With five years in the newsroom, she strives to balance the speed and rigor of fast‑moving news cycles and longer, context‑rich explainers. <br><br> Before joining LiveMint, Arshdeep served as a Senior Sub‑Editor at Business Standard and earlier as a Sub‑Editor at Asian News International (ANI). Her experience spans live news flows, enterprise features, and multi‑platform packaging. <br><br> At Mint, she regularly writes explainers, quick takes, and visuals‑led stories that are optimized for search and social, while maintaining the publication’s standards for accuracy and clarity. She collaborates closely with editors and the audience team to frame angles that resonate with readers in India and abroad, and to translate complex developments into accessible, high‑impact journalism. <br><br> Arshdeep's academic training underpins her interest towards policy and markets. She earned an MA in Economics from Panjab University and holds a Post‑Graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the India Today Media Institute (ITMI). This blend of economics and broadcast storytelling informs her coverage of public policy, elections, macro themes, and the consumer‑internet zeitgeist. <br><br> Arshdeep is based in New Delhi, where she tracks breaking developments and longer‑horizon storylines that shape public discourse.
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