Actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, marking a major political shift in the state and bringing an end to nearly six decades of alternating rule by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Vijay at a grand ceremony held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.
Nine ministers were also sworn in as part of the new Council of Ministers led by Vijay and his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
The swearing-in ceremony witnessed the presence of several national and regional political leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, film personalities, party workers and thousands of supporters. Massive security arrangements were put in place across the venue, with the Chennai City Police intensifying vehicle checks and enforcing strict access-control measures around the stadium.
Vijay assumed office after the TVK-led alliance secured the support of 120 MLAs in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, comfortably crossing the majority mark of 118 required to form the government.
Although TVK emerged as the single-largest party in the recently concluded Assembly elections, it fell short of an outright majority, leading to intense political negotiations over the past few days.
The deadlock ended after the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the Indian Union Muslim League extended support to the Vijay-led alliance.
Earlier, the Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist) had also backed TVK, enabling Vijay to stake claim to form the government.
Following the support from alliance partners, Vijay met Governor Arlekar at Lok Bhavan in Chennai on Saturday night and submitted letters of support from all five allies. The Governor subsequently appointed him as Chief Minister-designate and invited him to form the ministry. Vijay has also been directed to seek a vote of confidence in the Assembly on or before May 13.
