Vijay to take oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, eight-member cabinet likely to join him | India News

The breakthrough came after the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) extended support to TVK, pushing the alliance tally to 120 seats in the 234-member Assembly.

Earlier, the Congress had extended support to Vijay’s government after the fractured mandate, a move party insiders linked to the actor-turned-politician’s long-standing equation with the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. The two first had met in Delhi in 2009, when Gandhi had reportedly offered Vijay a role in the Youth Congress.

Though Vijay did not join the party, Congress leaders said the two remained in touch over the years, making the current TVK-Congress understanding a “natural progression”. Gandhi will also be among the ones attending Vijay’s swearing-in ceremony.

Sources indicated to The Indian Express reporter Arun Janardhanan that eight ministers are “likely” to take oath along with Vijay tomorrow, though minor last-minute changes to portfolios remain possible.

The tentative cabinet list is expected to include:

* Public Administration, Police and Home Department — Vijay
* Public Works Department — Sengottaiyan
* Municipal Administration Department — N. Anand
* Electricity Department — C.T.R. Nirmalkumar
* Sports and Prohibition Department — Aadhav Arjuna
* Adi Dravidar Welfare Department — Rajmohan
* Minority Welfare Department — Mustafa
* Registration and Commercial Taxes Department — Arunraj
* School Education Department — Venkat Ramanan

TVK leader Aadhav Arjuna had earlier announced that support from VCK had helped the party cross the majority mark needed to form the government.

The government formation process witnessed dramatic political negotiations over the last two days, with questions over majority support, allegations of “horse-trading”, and sharp exchanges between the DMK, Congress, AIADMK and TVK camps. However, by Saturday evening, Vijay formally staked claim with the backing of 120 MLAs.

Outgoing Chief Minister M. K. Stalin meanwhile said the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) would function as a “constructive Opposition” and would not obstruct the formation of the new government.