Vijay Takes Oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ending Decades of Dravidian Dominance

Chennai, May 2026 : C. Joseph Vijay was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday in a historic political moment that marked the end of nearly six decades of alternating rule by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

The actor-turned-politician and president of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) took oath of office and secrecy at a grand ceremony held at Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium. Governor-in-charge Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath to Vijay and his newly inducted council of ministers.

Nine ministers were sworn in alongside Vijay in the first phase of Cabinet formation. According to an official release from Lok Bhavan, the ministers inducted into the new Cabinet are N. Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, K. G. Arunraj, K. A. Sengottaiyan, P. Venkataramanan, R. Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan, T. K. Prabhu and S. Keerthana.

The swearing-in ceremony witnessed the presence of several prominent political leaders, film personalities, senior bureaucrats and thousands of party workers. Among the notable attendees was Rahul Gandhi, who arrived in Chennai on Sunday morning to participate in the event.

Massive security arrangements were made across Chennai in view of the high-profile ceremony. The city police intensified vehicle checks and enforced strict access controls around the stadium to manage the large crowds and ensure smooth conduct of the event.

Special seating arrangements were also made for family members and distinguished guests. Vijay’s parents, veteran filmmaker S. A. Chandrasekhar and Shobha Chandrasekhar, were seated prominently in the front row. Actor Trisha Krishnan and her mother were also allotted seats in the same row, drawing significant attention from the media and fans present at the venue.

Vijay’s rise to power follows days of intense political negotiations after the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections delivered a fractured mandate. TVK emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats but fell short of the majority mark required to form the government independently.

The political deadlock ended after multiple parties extended support to the Vijay-led formation. The Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) all announced support to TVK, helping the alliance secure the backing of 120 MLAs in the 234-member Assembly — comfortably above the majority mark of 118.

Following the support from alliance partners, Vijay met Governor Arlekar on Saturday night and submitted letters of support from all allied parties while formally staking claim to form the government. The Governor subsequently appointed him Chief Minister-designate and invited him to form the ministry.

Raj Bhavan has directed the new government to seek a vote of confidence on the floor of the Assembly on or before May 13.

Political observers described Vijay’s swearing-in as a watershed moment in Tamil Nadu politics. For the first time since 1967, a party outside the traditional Dravidian framework has assumed power in the state, signalling a major shift in the political landscape that had long been dominated by the DMK and AIADMK.

Vijay’s transition from cinema superstar to Chief Minister has generated enormous public attention across Tamil Nadu, with supporters celebrating what they describe as the beginning of a new political era in the state.