2 Congress MLAs to join Vijay govt, no AIADMK rebels for now

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay will expand his cabinet to induct two Congress legislators as ministers on Thursday, reports Julie Mariappan. Members of the AIADMK faction headed by former ministers C Ve Shanmugam and S P Velumani are, however, not to be included in this round of cabinet expansion, sources told TOI. Congress floor leader K Rajesh Kumar and P Viswanathan are expected to be sworn in at 10am at Lok Bhavan. R V Arlekar, who holds the additional charge of TN governor, is expected to arrive in Chennai on Wednesday night. “We will be part of the Tamil Nadu cabinet after six decades. A long dream of our cadres is coming true,” a Congress neta said. Vijay has faced criticism for leaving nearly 20 departments without ministers, including agriculture and higher education.