Congress rejoins Tamil Nadu cabinet after 59 years — Rajesh Kumar & P. Viswanathan take oath as ministers

The C. Joseph Vijay-led Tamil Nadu government underwent its first Cabinet expansion on Thursday, with Congress formally joining the ministry — a move aimed at strengthening the ruling coalition and filling several key portfolios that have remained vacant since the government assumed office.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at 10 a.m. at the Governor's residence in Guindy, where Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office in the presence of Chief Minister Vijay and other senior leaders.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge approved the induction of INC MLAs Adv. Rajesh Kumar and Thiru P. Vishwanathan. Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal confirmed the development, saying: "This is a historic occasion for us, as the Congress joins the Tamil Nadu cabinet after a long gap of 59 years!"

Rajesh Kumar had won the Killiyoor seat by a narrow margin of 1,311 votes (0.7%) against TVK candidate Sabin. P. Viswanathan won the Melur seat by a margin of 2,724 votes (1.4%) against TVK's A. Maduraiveeran. Congress had won five seats in the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections and went on to support TVK to form a coalition government.