Time to fulfil promises, Congress will be part of TN govt: Chodankar

Congress's Girish Chodankar said it's time for the new TN govt to fulfil promises, adding the party will be part of the govt. This followed TVK chief Vijay's swearing-in as CM, a ceremony attended by LoP Rahul Gandhi.

Congress to be part of government

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 10 (ANI): Congress in-charge for Tamil Nadu Girish Chodankar on Sunday said the party was happy that Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi attended the swearing-in ceremony of the new state government led by TVK chief Vijay. Chodankar added that it is now time for the government to fulfil the promises made to the people. He also said the Congress will be part of the government, but its ministers were not inducted in the first round as the party had not yet submitted its list of names.

Speaking to the reporters, Chodankar said, "We are very happy that our leader Rahul Gandhi has specially come to attend the swearing-in ceremony. He also visited our party office. The target is that whatever promises this government has made to the people, it's now time to fulfil those promises." "We'll be part of this government, but in the first round, we have not given our list, so our ministers could not be inducted today," he said.

Vijay takes oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay officially assumed charge at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat in Chennai, shortly after taking oath as the 13th Chief Minister of the state following TVK's historic electoral victory. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi attended the ceremony along with leaders of Congress, CPI, CPI(M) and VCK, parties that extended support to TVK to help it cross the majority mark in the Assembly. Vijay also thanked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary KC Venugopal for their support.

Vijay calls for 'new era' of governance

In his first speech as Chief Minister, Vijay thanked the people of the State for placing their trust in him and called for a "new era" of governance based on secularism and social justice. "Come, let all of us together give Tamil Nadu a fresh new government. This is a new beginning, the start of a new era of secular, social justice," he said amid loud cheers from supporters and party workers.

The actor-turned-politician stressed his humble roots and assured the public that he would remain committed to honest governance. "I am not some divine messenger or prophet. I am just an ordinary human being living a normal life. I will never deceive you with false promises. I will only promise what is possible," Vijay said.

TVK's historic debut

The 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections marked a historic shift in state politics as TVK won 108 seats in its debut election, ending the decades-long dominance of the DMK and AIADMK formations. Popularly known as 'Thalapathy', Vijay's rise has drawn comparisons with former Chief Minister and actor MG Ramachandran. (ANI)

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