Congress selected S Rajesh Kumar and P Viswanathan for induction into Chief Minister Vijay's Tamil Nadu cabinet, with general secretary K C Venugopal announcing the decision on May 20. He said party president Mallikarjun Kharge had approved the nominations and that the two legislators would take oath the following day.
ABP Live reported Venugopal's description of the move as the party's return to the state government after 59 years. Vijay's TVK had formed its administration with support from Congress and other parties and had subsequently won a floor test. The cabinet nominations gave Congress a direct executive role in that arrangement, beyond providing legislative support.
Lok Bhavan's May 21 press release independently confirmed the two names in a list of 23 legislators recommended by the chief minister for appointment as ministers. The governor approved the recommendations. The official notice scheduled the swearing-in for 10 am that day at Lok Bhavan in Chennai; approval and the scheduled ceremony are distinct from confirmation that every listed minister had taken oath.
The release identified Rajesh Kumar with Killiyoor constituency and Viswanathan with Melur. Other nominees in the same expansion included Srinath from Thoothukudi, S Kamali from Avinashi, C Vijayalakshmi from Kumarapalayam and R V Ranjithkumar from Kancheepuram. It therefore placed the Congress appointments within a wider expansion, rather than a separate two-member ceremony.
Congress's own May 14 election-results compilation recorded five victories from 28 candidates in Tamil Nadu. It listed Rajesh Kumar with 66,434 votes and a margin of 1,311, and Viswanathan with 60,080 votes and a margin of 2,724. Its other winning constituencies were Mayiladuthurai, Colachel and Vilavancode.
The two nominees thus accounted for two of the party's five successful candidates. Their appointment brought constituency representation from Killiyoor and Melur into the ministry, while the governor's notice left departmental assignments unspecified. The announcement concerned who would enter the cabinet, not the portfolios they would eventually administer.
