Cong set to enter TN govt after nearly 6 decades

The Congress party is set to return to the Tamil Nadu government after over 55 years, following the formation of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government headed by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay.

The development comes after TVK decided to allot two ministerial berths to Congress as part of the post-poll power-sharing arrangement forged after the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections produced a hung verdict.

The new government was sworn in during a grand ceremony held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, where Vijay took oath as the 13th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Along with him, nine ministers were also administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. TVK, contesting its maiden Assembly election under Vijay's leadership, emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly.

However, the party fell short of the majority mark of 118 seats, prompting Vijay to seek the support of Congress and other like-minded parties to form the government.

The Congress, which contested 28 seats as part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), managed to win only five seats. Despite the reduced tally, the party's central leadership decided to extend support to TVK after a series of consultations held by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) leadership in New Delhi.

The TVK government also secured support from the CPI, CPI(M), IUML and VCK, enabling Vijay to comfortably cross the majority mark and stake a claim to form the government.

Congress' entry into the Cabinet marks a politically significant moment in Tamil Nadu, where the party had remained without ministerial representation for decades despite being a long-time ally of the DMK in several governments.

Congress cadres had often expressed disappointment over the party being denied Cabinet positions even during successful alliance governments.

In 2006, when the DMK formed the government with outside support from Congress and PMK, the Congress -- despite winning 34 seats -- was not given representation in the State Cabinet.

AICC national observer for Tamil Nadu Girish Chodankar confirmed that discussions regarding the Congress nominees were still underway. "We are not insisting that Congress ministers should take the oath immediately. Discussions are continuing regarding which MLAs will be inducted into the Cabinet. The final decision will be taken by the leadership in Delhi," he said.

According to the Congress sources, Melur MLA P. Viswanathan and Killiyoor MLA S. Rajeshkumar are among the frontrunners for the ministerial posts.

Rajeshkumar currently serves as the Congress Legislature Party leader, while Viswanathan drew attention during the elections after winning from a general constituency as an SC candidate.