CM Vijay Takes Charge of Home and Police in New Government

The newly formed Tamil Nadu government led by C. Joseph Vijay has officially distributed portfolios among its ministers, marking an important administrative step after the historic assembly election victory of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). According to the notification issued by the state administration, Chief Minister Vijay has retained some of the most powerful and sensitive departments, including Home, Police, and Public Administration. He will also oversee Women’s Welfare and Youth Development. One of the major highlights of the cabinet formation is the creation of a separate Sports Development Ministry. This move is being seen as a fresh approach compared to the earlier DMK government structure, where sports was not treated as an independent department. Adhav Arjun has been given charge of the Public Works Department along with Sports Development. The remaining cabinet portfolios have been distributed among 10 ministers. K.A. Sengottaiyan has been appointed Finance Minister, while K.G. Arunraj will handle the Health Department. N. Anand has been assigned the Rural Development Department. CTR Nirmal Kumar will oversee Energy Resources and Law, while Rajmohan has been entrusted with School Education, Information and Publicity, Tamil Development, and Archaeology. S. Keerthana will lead the Industries Department, P. Venkataraman will manage Food and Civil Supplies, and T.K. Prabhu has been made Minister for Natural Resources. The rise of TVK has significantly changed Tamil Nadu politics. Founded only two years ago, the party emerged as the single largest party in the state assembly elections by winning 108 seats. The victory ended the decades-long dominance of the DMK and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu politics. However, forming the government was not easy for Vijay, as coalition discussions and negotiations continued for several days before he was finally sworn in as Chief Minister earlier this month. The Vijay-led government also comfortably passed its floor test in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. The government secured 144 votes in favour and only 22 against during the trust vote. The victory became easier after support from 25 rebel AIADMK MLAs, while the DMK staged a walkout from the assembly. Opposition leaders accused the government of political horse-trading, but Chief Minister Vijay strongly denied the allegations.