Vijay's Cabinet expands further: 2 IUML, VCK MLAs take oath
What's the story
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has expanded his cabinet with the inclusion of two more MLAs. AM Shahjahan from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Vanni Arasu from Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) took oaths as ministers on Friday. This comes a day after 23 other legislators from Vijay's party TVK and the Congress were inducted into the Council of Ministers.
Cabinet strength
Cabinet now has 34 ministers
With this latest expansion, Vijay's cabinet is now complete with 35 ministers, including himself. The Tamil Nadu cabinet can have a maximum of 35 ministers, which is 15% of the Assembly's total strength of 234. The recent additions include Srinath, Kamali S, C Vijayalakshmi among others from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and Congress MLAs Rajesh Kumar and Thiru P Viswanathan.
Historic inclusion
Congress's return to Tamil Nadu politics
Notably, this is the first time in nearly six decades that Congress has been included in a ruling coalition. The two Congress MLAs inducted into the government on Thursday were Rajesh Kumar and Thiru P Viswanathan. The last such instance was in March 1967 when M Bhaktavatsalam headed the government. In the recent elections, the TVK won 108 seats, falling 10 seats short of a majority. It was able to cross the majority with support from Congress and Left parties.