(Image source from: ANI)
Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced on Friday the roles for himself and nine ministers in his first cabinet, keeping important areas like Home, Police, and General Administration in what is viewed as a message to the voters who supported TVK. The official distribution of roles, approved by the governor, indicates that Vijay will manage areas including Public, General Administration, IAS, IPS, IFS, District Revenue Officers, Police, Home, and Special Programme Implementation. He has also taken over Women's Welfare, Youth Welfare, Welfare of Children, Aged and Differently Abled Persons, and Municipal Administration, along with Urban and Water Supply.
This decision is important because women and young voters were vital in helping TVK gain control in the Assembly election. Vijay’s choice to directly manage these roles shows his aim to keep a close connection to welfare services and city management, according to political experts.
In the party structure, N Anand is now the second-highest official in the government, serving as Minister for rural development and water resources. His responsibilities include Rural Development, Panchayats and Panchayat Union, Poverty Alleviation, Rural Debt Relief, and Irrigation projects, including Small Irrigation. Aadhav Arjuna, a key part of Vijay's core group, has taken on the important roles of Public Works and Sports Development. His duties include overseeing Public Works related to Buildings, Highways, and Minor Ports, as well as Sports Development. The sports role was previously managed by former Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin during the DMK period. Dr KG Arunraj, who was a former IRS officer and doctor, has been named the Minister for Health, Medical Education, and Family Welfare. In a notable political choice, the expelled AIADMK veteran KA Sengottaiyan has been given the finance role, along with pensions and pension allowances. The youngest minister and the only woman in this cabinet, Selvi S Keerthana, has made history as Tamil Nadu's first female Industries Minister. She will oversee Industries and Investment Promotion, a role that was formerly held by ex-DMK minister TRB Rajaa.
P Venkataramanan has been given the responsibility of the ministry for Food and Civil Supplies along with Consumer Protection and Price Control. R Nirmalkumar will oversee energy resources and law, managing the areas of Electricity, Non-Conventional Energy Development, Law, Courts, Prisons, Prevention of Corruption, Legislative Assembly, Governor, Elections, and Passports. Rajmohan is now the Minister for School Education, Tamil Development, and Information and Publicity. His responsibilities cover Archaeology, Tamil Official Language and Tamil Culture, Film Technology and the Cinematograph Act, Newsprint Control, Stationery and Printing, as well as the Government Press. Dr TK Prabhu, a former dentist who turned politician, has been given the Natural Resources portfolio along with oversight of Minerals and Mines.
Sources from TVK report that Chief Minister Vijay spent a significant amount of time organizing the cabinet and balancing political messages with the priorities of governance. However, several important portfolios still need to be assigned, such as Transport, Revenue, Cooperation, Agriculture, Forests, Environment, Housing, Information Technology, Tourism, Textiles, Dairy Development, Minority Welfare, and the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. The lack of assignments for these areas has led to speculation that Vijay might soon add more members to his cabinet to include partners in the coalition government.
The Congress party, which ended its partnership with the DMK and teamed up with TVK, is anticipated to gain two cabinet positions after winning five seats. At the same time, the CPI and CPM - previous allies of the DMK now backing the TVK government - have stated they will not become part of the cabinet. It is still uncertain if other partners like the VCK and IUML might be included later on. Importantly, 24 rebel MLAs from AIADMK voted in favor of Chief Minister Vijay during the Assembly trust vote, providing the new TVK government vital support and highlighting the growing divisions within AIADMK. TVK secured 108 seats in the Assembly elections, falling 10 seats short of a majority, and formed the government with help from allies. Vijay has also stepped down from the Tiruchy East constituency, one of the two seats he contested and won.
