From 200 units of free power to women's safety - CM Vijay's first big decisions as Tamil Nadu's 'new era' begins
In his first address, Vijay said he did not come from any royal lineage, but people welcomed and accepted him.
Vijay also accused the previous DMK regime of burdening the state with Rs 10 lakh crore debt. He said he was considering releasing a white paper on state finances to ensure transparency going forward.
TVK chief C Joseph Vijay on Sunday took oath as the ninth chief minister of Tamil Nadu, marking a major political milestone after leading his party to a landmark victory in its maiden assembly election.
As Tamil Nadu entered a new political phase, Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi attended the swearing-in ceremony of Vijay at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday.
Front-row seats were reserved for S. A. Chandrasekhar and Shobha Chandrasekhar, parents of Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay, during the swearing-in ceremony in Chennai.
Along with Vijay, nine ministers were sworn into the new Tamil Nadu cabinet after TVK secured the support of 120 MLAs, crossing the majority mark in the 234-member assembly. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar approved the list of ministers recommended by Vijay ahead of the swearing-in ceremony.
TVK leader S Keerthana also took oath as minister for the state of Tamil Nadu.
Senior leader K A Sengottaiyan also took oath as a minister in the new Tamil Nadu cabinet.
TVK senior leader Aadhav Arjuna took oath as cabinet minister under Vijay's maiden cabinet.
Vijay, popularly known as ‘Thalapathy’, drew massive crowds during the election campaign, with many comparing his political rise to that of former Chief Minister M G Ramachandran.
Earlier in the day, the oath of office was administered by Tamil Nadu governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Vijay’s parents, actor Trisha Krishnan and several others were present at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium for the ceremony.
Apart from Vijay, nine other TVK leaders — N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, K A Sengottaiyan, K G Arunraj, P Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan, T K Prabhu and S Keerthana — also took oath as ministers in his maiden cabinet.
Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Vijay welcomed Governor Arlekar to the venue and introduced him to the ministers-designate.
The 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly election entered the history books after the state delivered an unprecedented mandate to Vijay. TVK won 108 of the 234 seats in its maiden electoral outing. It also marked the first time in Tamil Nadu’s political history that both major Dravidian parties were voted out of power.
However, TVK fell short of a majority on its own and later received support from Congress (5), CPM (2), CPI (2), VCK (2) and IUML (2), all of which were earlier allies of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance.
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