Meet Keerthana: Tamil Nadu's Youngest Minister in CM Vijay's Cabinet

The 1996-Virudhanagar born Keerthana said that Vijay's TVK government has been ushered in for a "change" Raising her hand in a jubilant stance, Keerthana told ANI, "Victory, Victory, Victory" Thalapathy chief minister Joseph Vijay is here and everything will now change.

Highlighting Vijay's emphasis on merit, the only woman minister in Vijay's cabinet said her own elevation to a cabinet post reflected the TVK party's approach.

"Coming from such a middle-class family, getting such an opportunity as a candidate and being a cabinet minister, is it easy in any of the state? No. He sees the skill, he sees the talent, and we are here to make all the changes. This government will last for 35-50 years. We are going to be the longest government," she added.

The 29-year-old who completed her BSc in Mathematics from a college affiliated with Madurai Kamaraj University later pursued an MSc in Statistics from Puducherry University in 2019.

Keerthana won the Sivakasi seat in the recent Tamil Nadu Assembly elections with a margin of 11, 697 seats. She was also involved in election campaigns for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

In a previous interview with ANI, Keerthana gave her response in Hindi. "I am speaking in Hindi. I want to spread my party's representation everywhere, all over India, even in other countries. That's why I am speaking in Hindi. Everyone should know about my leader. Everyone should know about my party. Politics is something you shouldn't be afraid of. Everyone should come into politics. I am just an example; everyone should come and join politics, that's what I want."

Meanwhile, today along with Keerthana, N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, KA Sengottaiyan, KG Arunraj, P Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan, TK Prabhu were also administered oath of office by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.

The superstar-politician Vijay secured the support of 120 MLAs in the 234-member House after the recent Assembly elections.

TVK secured 118 seats, the minimum required for a majority in the Assembly. The party received support from the Congress, which won 5 seats, along with the Communist Party of India (2), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (2), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (2), and the Indian Union Muslim League (2).

Tamil Nadu Governor Arlekar had yesterday appointed Vijay as the new Chief Minister of the State and asked him to prove his majority in the Assembly before May 13.

The TVK chief ended nearly a six-decade-old 'duopoly' of Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu following unprecedented success in the recent election results. His parents, earlier today, expressed happiness said that they will enjoy the moment."I am very happy. We are going to attend the function. I am going to enjoy that my son is going to take the oath as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu," Vijay's father SA Chandrasekhar told ANI.

Vijay's mother, Sobha, also felt delighted on the occasion, saying, "I am so happy. It is Mother's Day today, I am very happy," she said.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi attended the swearing-in ceremony that has held at the Nehru Stadium in Chennai.

Vijay, an actor-turned-politician, submitted letters of support from Congress, CPI, Communist Party of India (Marxist), VCK and IUML to the Governor.

Today the TVK chief became the the first leader outside the DMK and AIADMK formations to head the Tamil Nadu government since 1967.

Vijay, often referred to as the 'Thalapathy', showed a crowd-pulling ability in the election rallies, which many compared to actor-turned-politician and former CM MG Ramachandran. While Tamil Nadu has had a long history of actors entering and conquering politics, the State awaited another star to step up in the line after Captain Vijayakanth.

He has also embraced his Christian identity while being outspoken about secular politics.

Although the TVK was launched in 2024, he has been looked at as a social worker and has not been apolitical, given his films, which dealt with drug menace, corruption and other socio-political issues. While there has been speculation of him entering politics since 2009, Vijay has involved himself in social work.

In the 2026 elections, he won two seats, Perambur and Trichy East, and will resign from one.

- ANI