CHENNAI: In a first, the Tamil Nadu cabinet headed by TVK leader C Joseph Vijay will have seven Dalit ministers. The number is expected to rise to eight once the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) is accommodated in the ministry.
The representation is significantly higher than in the outgoing DMK government, which had four Dalit ministers after Govi Chezhian was appointed higher education minister in 2024, following the removal of K Ponmudy from the post. The other Dalit ministers in the previous cabinet handled portfolios such as tourism, Adi Dravidar and tribal welfare, and labour welfare and skill development.
The representation also reflects the social composition of the ruling alliance, with the government having significant support from Dalit MLAs from the state. TVK itself emerged victorious in 24 of the 44 reserved constituencies in the Assembly elections. In addition, five of the 13 MLAs from other parties supporting the government, five are Dalits. As a result, 29 of the 120 MLAs backing the government, over 24%, are Dalits.
While six of the Dalit ministers are from TVK, P Viswanathan of the Congress, who won from the general constituency of Melur in Madurai, has been allotted the higher education portfolio.
Among the other Dalit ministers, P Mathanraja will handle micro, small and medium enterprises, while D Logesh Tamilselvan has been assigned commercial taxes and registration. V Gandhiraj will head the cooperation department, K. Thennarasu has been given charge of non-resident Tamils welfare and S Kamali will handle the animal husbandry department. Rajmohan was among the first batch of 10 ministers sworn in and has taken charge as school education minister.
The cabinet also includes four women ministers, among them S Keerthana, who has been entrusted with the key industries portfolio. Apart from Kamali, C Vijayalakshmi will handle milk and dairy development, while K. Jagadeeswari has been allotted the social welfare department. The average age of the cabinet is also expected to come down, with more than 10 ministers being under 40 years of age with two woman ministers, Keerthana and Kamali, below 30.
"Many contradictions are being pointed out in discussions on Dalit representation in the government. While Govi Chezhian is regarded as the first Dalit leader to hold the higher education portfolio, P. Benjamin is said to have been the first Dalit leader to serve as school education minister during the 2016 AIADMK regime. These, however, were rare instances, as Dalit ministers were largely confined to departments such as Adi Dravidar welfare and social welfare since Independence. Dalit leaders such as P. Kakkan in the Kamaraj government, who handled the home department, were also exceptions. The present government has expanded both the scale of representation and the range of portfolios entrusted to Dalit ministers in its first term itself," said Ramesh Nathan.
Other prominent Dalit representatives in Tamil Nadu's political history include B. Parameswaran, who held portfolios including transport and HR&CE in Kamaraj's ministry; Sathyavani Muthu, who handled portfolios including Adi Dravidar welfare and agriculture in DMK governments and later served as a Union minister; and A. Raja, who has held several Union ministerial portfolios representing the DMK.
Another notable departure from the usual composition of Tamil Nadu cabinets is the presence of two Brahmin ministers. Apart from J. Jayalalithaa, who served as chief minister, Brahmin representation in Tamil Nadu cabinets has been minimal over the past six decades. The present government includes two Brahmin ministers, S. Ramesh, who will handle the HR&CE department, and P Venkatramanan, who has been allotted food, civil supplies, consumer protection and price control. Sources also pointed out that nearly half the ministers are from Vijay Makkal Iyakkam and have worked closely with Vijay for several years.
The cabinet has two Christians, including the CM himself and Marie Wilson, who will handle the Finance ministry. However, the Muslim representation is just one at present, with J Mohamed Farvas, who will head Labour Welfare and Skill Development. It will increase to two when IUML joins the cabinet.