Thalapathy Vijay Becomes Tamil Nadu CM, Ends DMK-AIADMK Duopoly

Actor Vijay was sworn in as Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister after his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, won 108 seats in its debut 2026 election, ending the DMK-AIADMK duopoly. Nine TVK leaders also took oath as ministers.

Vijay Takes Oath as Tamil Nadu CM with New Cabinet

Nine Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leaders, including party leaders N Anand and Aadhav Arjuna, on Sunday took the oath as Ministers of Tamil Nadu as the new era of state politics began, bringing an end to the duopoly of DMK and AIADMK. Other TVK leaders, KA Sengottaiyan, KG Arunraj, P Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan, TK Prabhu and S Keerthana, were also sworn in as ministers in the new cabinet of first-time Chief Minister Vijay. They took an oath along with Vijay after his majestic success in the debut elections.

The oath was administered by Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar; meanwhile, LoP Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Vijay's parents, actress Trisha Krishna and others were present at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to embrace the occasion. Ahead of his swearing-in ceremony, Vijay welcomed and greeted Governor Arlekar to the venue. The TVK chief also introduced the Governor to all the ministers-designate.

Historic Mandate in Debut Election

The 2026 Tamil Nadu elections were registered in history books after the state declared an unprecedented mandate for Vijay. While TVK ended up winning 108 out of 234 seats in its maiden political stint, it was for the first time in the history of state politics that both legacy 'Dravidian' parties were ousted from power.

However, Vijay couldn't attain majority on its own and was later offered support by Congress (5), CPI-M (2), CPI (2), VCK (2) and IUML (2), which were earlier the allies of Secular Progressive Alliance led by DMK.

From Silver Screen to State Assembly

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.

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.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)