This is the first time in nearly 60 years that Congress is part of Tamil Nadu cabinet.

Nearly two weeks after forming government, chief minister C Joseph Vijay-led TVK Cabinet was expanded on Thursday with the scheduled inclusion of 23 new members, including two Congress MLAs — a first in nearly six decades.

The swearing-in ceremony began at the Lok Bhavan at 10 am, with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administering the oath of office to the minister-designates. TVK MLAs, including Srinath, S Kamali, C Vijayalakshmi and R V Ranjithkumar were initially sworn-in as ministers.

While the latest expansion has taken the number of ministers in CM Vijay-led cabinet to 33, the total strength of the council is 35.

Full list of leaders who took oath
Rajesh Kumar S — Killiyoor (Congress)

P. Viswanathan — Melur (Congress)

Srinath — Thoothukudi

Kamali S — Avinashi

C. Vijayalakshmi — Kumarapalayam

R.V. Ranjithkumar — Kancheepuram

Vinoth — Kumbakonam

Rajeev — Thiruvadanai

B. Rajkumar — Cuddalore

V. Gandhiraj — Arakkonam

Mathan Raja P — Ottapidaram

Jegadeshwari K — Rajapalayam

M. Vijay Balaji — Erode East

Logesh Tamilselvan D — Rasipuram

Vijay Tamilan Parthiban A — Salem South

Ramesh — Srirangam

Kumar R — Velachery

Thennarasu K — Sriperumbudur

V. Sampath Kumar — Coimbatore North

Mohamed Farvas J — Aranthangi

D. Sarathkumar — Tambaram

N. Marie Wilson — Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar

Vignesh K — Kinathukadavu

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.

“This is a historic occasion for us, as the Congress joins the Tamil Nadu cabinet after a long gap of 59 years,” Venugopal wrote in a post on X on Wednesday as he conveyed his best wishes to the two party leaders joining the cabinet.

Congress MLAs who took oath
S Rajesh Kumar, a seasoned politician and a three time legislator for Killiyoor constituency in Kanyakumari district took oath on Thursday to join the Tamil Nadu cabinet. Rajesh Kumar, 51, is also the former District Congress Committee President of the Kanyakumari west.