Congress back in Tamil Nadu Cabinet after nearly 60 years as Vijay inducts 2 MLAs: Who are they?

TAmil Nadu chief government minister C chief joseph Vijay-led TVK storage locker expanded on th with the inductance of 23 new ministers, including two Congress MLAs — a first in nearly six decades.The swearing-in ceremony began at Lok Bhavan at 10 am, with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administering the oath of office to the minister-designates. TVK MLAs Srinath, S Kamali, C Vijayalakshmi and R V Ranjithkumar were among the first to be sworn in as ministers.Also read | 2 Congress MLAs, 21 from CM Vijay's TVK take oath in historic Tamil Nadu cabinet expansionWith the latest expansion, the strength of the cabinet headed by CM Vijay has risen to 33, while the total strength of the council stands at 35.Who are the two Congress MLAs?The two Congress MLAs — a first in nearly six decades are:S Rajesh KumarS Rajesh Kumar is a three-time legislator from the Killiyoor constituency in Kanyakumari district. The 51-year-old leader is currently the Congress Legislature Party leader and a former president of the Kanyakumari West District Congress Committee.In the 2026 Assembly elections, Rajesh Kumar secured 66,434 votes, defeating Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam candidate S Sabin by a margin of 1,311 votes.P ViswanathanP Viswanathan, another senior Congress leader, was elected from the Melur constituency in Madurai district. The 61-year-old is a postgraduate and a practicing advocate.Viswanathan has held various positions within the Congress party and was elected as an MP from the Kancheepuram constituency in 2009. He is also the All India Congress Committee in-charge for Telangana.In the Assembly elections, he secured 60,080 votes, defeating TVK candidate A Maduraiveeran by a margin of 2,724 votes.The Congress, with its five MLAs, was among the first parties to extend support to Vijay-led TVK after it lacked the majority strength to form government following the counting of Assembly election votes on May 4. Through the course of almost a week, other parties joined in and offered support to the actor-politician's party, making it possible for him to form a government in Tamil Nadu after an impressive debut poll performance.Of the total ministerial composition, 21 MLAs are from Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and two are from the Congress. Chief minister Vijay, along with nine other MLAs, had earlier taken oath on May 10 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.(With inputs from S Vijay Karthik).