Published May 20, 2026 | 2:34 PM ⚊ Updated May 20, 2026 | 2:34 PM
VCK legislative leader Vanniarasu is expected to be inducted as a minister.
Synopsis: The VCK, one of the key allies supporting the ruling TVK government in Tamil Nadu, is expected to secure a berth in Chief Minister Vijay’s cabinet during the expansion likely later this week. After an open invitation from Minister Aadhav Arjuna, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan said the party would take a call after internal discussions.
The cabinet of the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government led by Chief Minister Vijay in Tamil Nadu is expected to be expanded soon, with several new ministers likely to be inducted.
As previously reported by South First, two legislators from the Congress are expected to join the cabinet. They include Melur MLA P Viswanathan and Kallakurichi (Kiliyur) MLA S Rajesh Kumar. Kulachal MLA Tharagai Cuthbert is also being considered for a ministerial berth.
With an announcement on the cabinet expansion expected at any time, Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna, while speaking to reporters in Chennai on Wednesday, openly invited the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) to join the cabinet.
“Parties rooted in social justice principles should be part of the cabinet. The Congress has shown immense faith in our leader and Chief Minister by extending strong support to us. The Chief Minister has insisted that they should be represented in the ministry. We respect the Left parties’ decision to support us from outside while maintaining their ideological position,” he said.
“Likewise, it is the Chief Minister’s wish that VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan should also be part of the cabinet, and we are extending an invitation to him as well. Similarly, the Chief Minister wants the IUML [Indian Union Muslim League] to be represented in the cabinet.”
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VCK president and MP Thol Thirumavalavan, responding to Arjuna’s invitation, said that shortly after Vijay assumed office as Chief Minister, he had personally expressed the VCK’s willingness to join the cabinet and that Minister Arjuna was merely reiterating that position publicly now.
He added that the party would discuss the matter internally before arriving at a decision.
“We did not contest the election as part of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam alliance. We fought the election as part of another alliance led by the DMK and won two seats in that coalition. At a time when the TVK government needed just two more MLAs to form the government, we extended our support,” he said.
“Now, the TVK has openly expressed its wish that both the VCK and the IUML should be part of the cabinet. We respect their invitation and are grateful for it. There is no immediate need to convene the party’s high-level committee again. Our two general secretaries, treasurer, principal secretary, and other senior office-bearers will discuss the invitation and announce a decision.”
A senior VCK leader told South First that the party joining the cabinet is highly likely and that the party’s high-level committee may meet on Wednesday to deliberate on the matter.
“The chances of joining the TVK cabinet are high. However, the final decision will be taken only at the high-level committee meeting. One section believes we should join, while another feels there is no need to rush. But as of now, the possibility of joining appears stronger.”
Several key leaders of the party have already been in Chennai over the past few days. Political developments in recent weeks suggest that such a move had been anticipated.
At the same time, while a by-election in Tiruchy East could offer Thirumavalavan a route into the Assembly, it is unlikely that he would join the cabinet.
Sources within the party said Thirumavalavan was not keen on such a move and that the party’s legislative leader, Vanniarasu, could instead be inducted as a minister.
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Speculation is also rife about the possible induction of the rebel faction of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which has thrown its support behind the TVK government. The group, numbering 25 MLAs, is led by senior AIADMK leaders CV Shanmugam and SP Velumani.
Amid suggestions that one or two leaders from that bloc could also be offered ministerial positions, Thirumavalavan told the media that the VCK had received information that no faction of the AIADMK would be joining the TVK cabinet.
However, the possibility has already triggered concern among TVK’s supporting parties. On Tuesday, while speaking to the media, P Shanmugam, the state secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), warned against such a move.
“Our position is that support should not be sought from any party aligned with the BJP. If the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government inducts AIADMK members into the cabinet, we will reconsider our support,” he said.
Likewise, the Congress, CPI, VCK and the IUML—all parties currently supporting the TVK government—have maintained that TVK should avoid any political relationship with the BJP or its allies.
Even so, Aadhav Arjuna has refused to either confirm or deny whether the AIADMK might be inducted into the cabinet. Instead, he criticised AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and accused the party leadership of being controlled from Delhi.
He further alleged that after the elections, the DMK had compromised its ideology and attempted to align with the AIADMK for “anti-people politics”.
Moreover, he added that MLAs have the democratic right to decide whom they support and that the legislators backing the TVK government are acting under the guidance of CV Shanmugam and according to their own political judgment.
“Shanmugam told me personally that they did not come out for power or ministerial positions,” he added.
“If any legal issues arise from that, they will face them. My only request is that the AIADMK should remain a strong political party and function effectively as an opposition,” he said.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
