Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Joseph Vijay took oath as the 9th CM of Tamil Nadu after a historic win in the 2026 elections. TVK won 108 seats in its debut, ousting both legacy Dravidian parties from power for the first time in state history.
Vijay Takes Oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Chandrasekhar Joseph Vijay on Sunday took oath as the ninth Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu following his majestic success in 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.
New Cabinet Sworn In
Apart from Vijay, nine other TVK leaders, including N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, KA Sengottaiyan, KG Arunraj, P Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan, TK Prabhu and S Keerthana, will take oath as ministers in his maiden cabinet.
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.
A Historic Mandate in 2026 Elections
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 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.
The 'Thalapathy' Phenomenon
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.
He has also embraced his Christian identity while being outspoken about secular politics.
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. (ANI)
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