After 59 Years, Congress Joins Tamil Nadu Cabinet Fittingly On Rajiv Gandhi's Death Anniversary
Manickam Tagore has expressed his joy, describing it as an indescribable feeling to witness Congress ministers being part of the Tamil Nadu Cabinet.
Published : May 20, 2026 at 9:40 PM IST
Chennai: With the expansion of the Tamil Nadu Cabinet scheduled to take place tomorrow, the party's General Secretary, KC Venugopal, has officially announced that two members belonging to the Congress party are set to be sworn in as ministers.
In the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the single largest party, securing victory in 108 constituencies. Following this outcome, TVK leader Vijay undertook efforts to form the government with the support of the DMK-led alliance partners—an endeavor in which he succeeded.
Subsequently, on May 10th, he was sworn in as the Chief Minister and administered the oath of office and secrecy by Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arelekar at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai. Along with him, nine others including second-tier TVK leaders like Anand, Adhav Arjuna, Arunraj, Sengottaiyan, Nirmal Kumar, Rajmohan Prabhu, and Keerthana Venkatraman were also sworn in as ministers.
For a considerable period, there had been mounting anticipation regarding when the next phase of the cabinet expansion and swearing-in ceremony would take place. Notably, no decision had yet been reached regarding the inclusion in the cabinet of parties like the VCK and the IUML, which had extended their support to the TVK government.
Against this backdrop, Tamil Nadu Minister Adhav Arjuna had issued an invitation to these parties—including the VCK and the IUML urging them to participate in the cabinet.
Earlier, the Congress party which had pledged its support to Vijay in forming the government—had expressed its confidence that it would definitely secure representation within the cabinet. Confirming this expectation, Venugopal, has now announced that two Congress MLAs are set to be inducted into the Tamil Nadu Cabinet.
In a post issued regarding this matter, he stated: "After 59 years, two Congress MLAs are set to assume office as ministers in Tamil Nadu. All India Congress Committee President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, have given their approval for Rajesh Kumar—the member representing the Killiyoor Assembly constituency—and Viswanathan—the member representing the Melur Assembly constituency to take charge as ministers. Two Congress party MLAs will be sworn in as ministers tomorrow within the Ta.Ve.Ka. government led by Joseph Vijay."
Meanwhile, Congress MP from Virudhnagar Manickam Tagore, who has long advocated for the party's inclusion in the Tamil Nadu cabinet—has expressed his delight over the fact that the party is now set to participate in the cabinet.
He noted that witnessing Congress ministers being sworn into the Tamil Nadu cabinet once again after 59 years—and specifically on the memorial day of Rajiv Gandhi—is an emotion that defies description in words.
Former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, was assassinated on May 21, 1991, during an election campaign event held at Sriperumbudur in the Kanchipuram district. It is noteworthy that, on this very same date—59 years later—two Congress MLAs are poised to take their oaths as ministers in Tamil Nadu.
Swearing-in at 10:00 AM: Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary M. Sai Kumar has announced that the swearing-in ceremony for the new ministers joining the Tamil Nadu cabinet will take place tomorrow at approximately 10:00 AM at the Lok Bhavan.
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