Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C Joseph Vijay takes oath as the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister during the swearing-in ceremony, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in Chennai, Sunday, May 10, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
R SENTHILKUMAR
Joseph C Vijay on Sunday took oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, days after trouncing the DMK in elections. A 9-member cabinet, an amalgamation of youth and experience, was sworn-in to assist the CM in administration.
Here is a look at the profiles of the TVK ministers.
KA Sengottaiyan: From his early days as a leader of Kullapalayam Panchayat in Coimbatore during the 1970s, Sengottaiyan has carved out a storied 50-year career in Tamil Nadu politics. His journey from a grassroots party worker to a 10-time legislator stands as a testament to his political endurance.
Born in 1948, Sengottaiyan’s ascent began when he was just 29 years old. His tireless work earned him his first MLA seat from the Sathyamangalam assembly constituency in 1977, when the AIADMK first rose to power under its legendary founder M G Ramachandran, who was fondly called MGR.
After MGR’s passing, Sengottaiyan emerged as a staunch loyalist of J Jayalalithaa. Throughout AIADMK’s various terms in power, he held several key portfolios, most notably serving as the Revenue Minister.
His influence continued in the administration of Edappadi K Palaniswami, where he served as the School Education Minister.
In this role, he was credited with introducing ambitious reforms.
He was expelled from the AIADMK in November 2025 after a series of public disagreements with Palaniswami, and he soon joined the Vijay-led TVK, where his decades of political experience proved invaluable.
Aadhav Arjuna: Perhaps TVK’s most visible face, Aadhav Arjuna is a basketball player and is currently the president of Basketball Federation of India. A political strategist, he briefly served as Deputy General Secretary for Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) before parting ways with its chief Thol Thirumavalavan. The Villivakkam MLA-elect is the son-in-law of ‘lottery king’ Santiago Martin and has been credited for TVK’s growth.
N Anand: Also known as ‘Bussy’ Anand, he is recognised as one of the closest political associates of TVK president Vijay. He played a key organisational role during the formation and growth of the party, helping build its ground network and campaign machinery across Tamil Nadu.
He earned his nickname ‘Bussy’ after winning the election from the Bussy constituency in Puducherry in 2006 in Puducherry Munnetra Congress.
Anand will have the distinction of serving the 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly, after having previously been MLA in Puducherry.
He is known for doing voluntary services in his assembly segment ensuring a garbage free area.
S Keerthana: TVK MLA-elect from the Sivakasi constituency, S Keerthana has been making headlines after the 29-year-old became the first woman MLA to achieve victory in the constituency, putting an end to nearly seven decades of male domination.
Born in 1996 in Virudhunagar, Keerthana studied in a Tamil-medium government school before building a career in political consulting. She completed her BSc in Mathematics from a college affiliated with Madurai Kamaraj University and later pursued MSc in Statistics from Puducherry University in 2019.
Before entering active politics, Keerthana worked as a political consultant and digital campaign strategist with Showtime Consulting and IPAC. She was also involved in election campaigns for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
Over the years, she worked with former CMs Stalin, Mamata Banerjee and incumbent AP CM Chandrababu Naidu.
KG Arunraj: A former Indian Revenue Service officer and a medical doctor by profession, Arunraj was sworn in as a minister in Vijay’s cabinet on Sunday. Kottaipalayam Ganesan Arunraj, aged 46 now, gave up his prestigious government job and joined Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. He served as its general secretary, policy and propaganda, before becoming the minister of the first-ever TVK cabinet under Vijay.
Arunraj had won from Tiruchengode Assembly constituency in Namakkal district, securing 79,500 votes and trounced his nearest rival SRMT Sekar of the AIADMK by a margin of 28,172 votes.
He earned his MBBS from Madras Medical College and had served as government medical officer at the primary health centre in Krishnagiri.
He completed his schooling in Salem district.
R Nirmal Kumar: A prominent leader of TVK, who played a crucial role in post-poll negotiations in meeting the left party leaders and securing their support for government formation, Nirmal Kumar had headed the IT and social media unit of the TVK.
He won from the Thirupparankundram Assembly constituency in Madurai. He was with the BJP initially heading its IT and social media wing and following a brief stint with the AIADMK. Nirmal Kumar joined the TVK in 2025.
He became a key strategist for the TVK and is credited with building the digital presence for the TVK while serving as deputy general secretary of IT and social media wing. He holds degrees in engineering and law.
A Rajmohan: Rajmohan, an actor, stand-up comedian, television anchor, and director who took the oath of office as a minister, was TVK’s propaganda secretary. He won from Egmore Assembly constituency.
P Venkataramanan: TVK treasurer P Venkataramanan who assumed charge as minister, is a practicing advocate and he won from Mylapore Assembly constituency. He is the Brahmin face of TVK. In October 2024, at the first state conference of TVK he had administered the oath to thousands of party activists.
Dr K T Prabhu: Dr Prabhu, another newly inducted minister in Vijay’s Cabinet, is a dentist by profession. He won from Karaikudi constituency in Sivaganga district, defeating NTK founder, and actor-director Seeman.
Published on May 10, 2026
