Meet S Keerthana, the youngest and only woman in 'Thalapathy' Vijay's new Cabinet

Keerthana won her seat in the Sivakasi constituency and rose to be a Cabinet member in Vijay's office.

As Tamilaga Vetri Kazahagam (TVK) founder C Joseph Vijay was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after a resounding victory at the state's assembly polls, all eyes were on the cabinet members of the party, who began their office terms.

One such member is S Keerthana, a 29-year-old MLA with her background rooted in political consultancy and strategy. She won her seat in the Sivakasi constituency and rose to be a Cabinet member in Vijay's office.

She was born in 1996 in Virudhunagar, and did her education in a Tamil-medium government school. Soon after, she began building her professional endeavours in political consulting.

She finished her BSc in Mathematics from an institution affiliated with the Madurai Kamaraj University, later pursuing an MSc in Statistics from Puducherry University in 2019, PTI reported.

Before entering active politics, Keerthana launched her career as a political consultant and digital campaign strategist with Showtime Consulting and IPAC. She was also a part of election campaigns for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Trinamool Congress (TMC), and Telugu Desam Party (TDP), working with former Chief Ministers M K Stalin, Mamata Banerjee and present AP CM Chandrababu Naidu.

As she shared her experience, she mentioned how she wanted to understand the topics in politics such as governance, administration and bureaucracy.

Apart from her political skills, she speaks various languages, such as Tamil, English, Hindi, and Telugu. Keerthana said that this practice helps spread a message directly to the people, offering a direct connect.

"Language gave me so many opportunities to work in different states," she said. Referring to her role in the TVK, NDTV quoted her as, "TVK is a place where everyone has access. Even if I don't have a political or money background, I'm there. If you have an intention to do something for the people, you are welcome."

Keerthana defeated Congress candidate Ashokan G by a margin of 11,670 votes in the Sivakasi constituency, by securing 68,709 votes (as per data by EC).

She is also the first female MLA from Sivakasi in around 70 years who has defeated a former AIADMK minister.

The victory of Vijay-led TVK is set to open a new era of regime change in Tamil Nadu. Others who took the oath as ministers in his cabinet included Aadhav Arjun, K A Sengottaiyan, K G Arunraaj, P Venkataramanan, C T R Nirmal Kumar, and A Rajmohan.