The Congress will join the first coalition government of TN on Thursday

After being out of power in Tamil Nadu for 59 years, the Congress is all set to join the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government headed by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Thursday, ushering in an era of coalition in the Dravidian state.

The party, which won five assembly seats in the DMK-led alliance, was the first to rush to Mr. Vijay’s aid when he fell short of the majority mark.

Mr. Vijay is set to expand his 10-member cabinet. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will administer the oath of office and secrecy to more than 20 new ministers at 10 am on Thursday at the Lok Bhavan.

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on Wednesday said party president Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the induction of Congress Legislature Party leader S. Rajesh Kumar (Killiyoor) and P. Viswanathan (Melur) in the Council of Ministers. Mr Kumar is likely to be given the tourism portfolio and Mr Viswanathan higher education.

Congratulating both the Congress MLAs over the phone, Mr. Vijay said that TVK and Congress will ride together for the welfare of the people.

Earlier in the day, TVK invited VCK and IUML to join the cabinet. If both parties agree to join the government, it would pave the way for a major political realignment in the state.

Published – 20 May 2026 22:28 IST