‘Thalapathy’ Vijay takes oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, ends DMK-AIADMK dominance after nearly 60 years

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder C Joseph Vijay on Sunday took oath as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, marking a major political shift in the state as a non-DMK and non-AIADMK leader assumed power for the first time in nearly six decades.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Vijay and his nine-member cabinet during a grand ceremony at Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The swearing-in event witnessed the presence of senior political leaders, film personalities and thousands of TVK supporters.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi attended the ceremony along with leaders from the Congress, CPI, CPI(M) and VCK — parties that extended support to the TVK-led alliance after the Assembly election results.

Vijay’s parents, filmmaker SA Chandrasekhar and Shobha Chandrasekhar, were also present at the venue. Actor Trisha Krishnan attended the ceremony as well.

TVK forms government after post-poll alliance push

The TVK scripted a major upset in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections by winning 108 seats in its electoral debut. However, the party fell short of the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member Assembly.

Vijay then held multiple rounds of discussions with potential allies to secure support for government formation. Congress, which won five seats, was the first party to back the TVK. Later, the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) — with two seats each — also extended support.

The breakthrough came after DMK allies Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) announced support to the TVK-led alliance, taking the tally to 120 MLAs.

Following the backing from alliance partners, Vijay met Governor Arlekar at Lok Bhavan in Chennai and submitted letters of support from the parties. The governor later invited him to form the government and asked him to prove majority on or before May 13.

Nine ministers take oath with Vijay

Along with Vijay, nine ministers were sworn into the cabinet.

The ministers include KA Sengottaiyan, who joined the TVK after his expulsion from the AIADMK; Aadhav Arjuna; N Anand alias ‘Bussy’ Anand; KG Arunraj; P Venkataramanan; R Nirmal Kumar; RajMohan; Dr TK Prabhu; and Selvi S Keerthana, one of the youngest faces in the cabinet.

After the swearing-in ceremony, Vijay reached Fort St George and officially assumed charge as Chief Minister at the Secretariat. He received a ceremonial Guard of Honour upon arrival.

Vijay announces key decisions after assuming office

Soon after taking charge, Vijay signed key files related to welfare and governance measures.

According to officials, the files included proposals for 200 units of free electricity for families, a dedicated women’s safety unit and a special anti-drug smuggling unit.

In his first address as Chief Minister, Vijay thanked the people of Tamil Nadu for their support and promised transparent governance.

“Come, let all of us together give Tamil Nadu a fresh new government. This is a new beginning,” he said during the ceremony.

The actor-turned-politician also said he would not make unrealistic promises and pledged to work for social justice and secular governance.

PM Modi, Stalin congratulate Vijay

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Vijay on becoming the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

In a post on X, Modi said the Centre would continue working with the Tamil Nadu government for the welfare of people in the state.

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin also congratulated Vijay and welcomed the announcements made by the new government after taking office.

However, Stalin criticised Vijay’s remarks blaming the previous DMK government for the state’s financial condition. Vijay had alleged that the earlier government left behind a debt burden of Rs 10 lakh crore.

Stalin defended the DMK government’s financial record and urged Vijay to fulfil the promises made during the election campaign.

From ‘Thalapathy’ to Chief Minister

Born on June 22, 1974, in Chennai, Vijay began his film career as a child artiste in Vetri in 1984. He made his debut as a lead actor in Naalaiya Theerpu in 1992.

Popularly known as ‘Thalapathy’, Vijay went on to become one of Tamil cinema’s biggest stars with films such as Thuppakki, Kaththi, Mersal, Bigil and Leo.

He launched the TVK in 2024 and formally entered active politics. Within two years, the party emerged as the single-largest party in the Assembly elections and formed the government with support from alliance partners.