Seven members from Scheduled Caste communities have been given representation in the Tamil Nadu Cabinet under Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay. The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has also managed to ensure that, for the first time in Tamil Nadu’s 74-year political history, four women have been inducted into the Cabinet.
Earlier, first-time MLA S. Keerthana had taken office as Industries Minister. Keerthana is the first woman MLA from the fireworks capital; Sivakasi, known to be AIADMK turf, has long been former minister K. T. Rajenthira Bhalaji’s bastion. She has brought the curtain down on seven decades of male-only MLAs from Sivakasi.
Now, three more women have been handed ministerial responsibilities by the TVK. S. Kamali (Avinashi constituency), C. Vijayalakshmi (Kumarapalayam), and K. Jegatheeswari (Rajapalayam) have been included in the Cabinet, Daily Thanthi said in a report.
During the 2011–2016 AIADMK government led by J. Jayalalithaa, three women served as ministers. Sathyavani Muthu became the first woman minister in the Tamil Nadu Cabinet in 1967, when C. N. Annadurai (Anna) was Chief Minister, Daily Thanthi said.
The TVK Cabinet was expanded on Thursday with the scheduled inclusion of 23 new members, including two Congress MLAs.
The swearing-in ceremony has been underway at Raj Bhavan since 10 am, with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administering the oath of office to the ministers-designate. TVK MLAs, including Srinath, S. Kamali, C. Vijayalakshmi, and R. V. Ranjithkumar, were initially sworn in as ministers.