Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay was sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, May 10, 2026, marking the state’s first government in nearly 60 years not led by either the DMK or the AIADMK. The oath-taking took place at a packed Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, with his parents S. A. Chandrasekhar and Shobha, actor Trisha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi among those in attendance.
Nine TVK leaders took oath as ministers alongside Vijay. Those sworn in included veteran politician K. A. Sengottaiyan, who joined TVK after being expelled from the AIADMK; Aadhav Arjuna, described as one of Vijay’s trusted strategists; CTR Nirmal Kumar, a former BJP functionary and Thiruparankundram winner; ‘Bussy’ Anand, TVK general secretary; RajMohan, a television and film personality; KT Prabhu, a dentist-turned-politician from Karaikudi; Arunraaj, a former IRS officer; P. Venkataramanan, Mylapore MLA; and 28-year‑old S. Keerthana, the cabinet’s youngest member.
TVK, formed in 2024, made a dramatic debut in last month’s assembly elections, winning 108 of the 234 seats. That fell short of the simple majority mark of 118, prompting multiple days of coalition talks and repeated meetings with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to demonstrate legislative support.
Vijay first secured backing from the Congress — a DMK ally with five MLAs — but was initially told he lacked the numbers. He then gained the support of the two Left parties, the CPI and CPI(M), each with two seats, but because Vijay was elected from two constituencies and must vacate one, the alliance tally stood at 116, two short of a majority. The decisive turn came on Saturday, May 9, when DMK allies Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) announced unconditional support for TVK, taking the coalition to 120 seats.
On Saturday evening Vijay presented letters of support at Lok Bhavan; after an hour-long meeting the governor appointed him chief minister. Vijay is required to seek a vote of confidence in the assembly on or before May 13, 2026.
Vijay’s transition from cinema to politics was rapid. Born on June 22, 1974, in Chennai, he first appeared as a child artiste in Vetri (1984) and debuted as a leading actor in Naalaiya Theerpu (1992). He earned the sobriquet “Thalapathy” early in his career and starred in major hits including Thuppakki (2012), Kaththi (2014), Mersal (2017), Bigil (2019) and Leo (2023). He left the film industry to launch the TVK in 2024 and now leads a new ruling coalition in Tamil Nadu.
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/vijay-takes-oath-as-tamil-nadu-chief-minister-with-9-tvk-leaders-thalapathy-is-tamil-nadu-chief-minister-11473780#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-05-10 10:52:00
