Chennai, Aug 2026 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay on Thursday created a buzz in the state Assembly after briefly leaving his designated seat and sitting among his cabinet colleagues, in a departure from the usual seating convention followed inside the House.
Vijay initially took his customary seat reserved for the Chief Minister, located on the right side of Speaker J.C. D. Prabhakar. However, during the afternoon session, he moved to the ministers’ row and sat between Minister and Leader of the House K.A. Sengottaiyan and Minister Aadhav Arjuna.
Videos of the Chief Minister seated alongside the ministers and interacting with them subsequently circulated widely on social media, attracting considerable attention.
The move was unusual because the Chief Minister traditionally occupies a separate and more spacious chair positioned close to the Speaker’s chair. Cabinet ministers sit in the designated row alongside the Chief Minister, with their positions generally determined according to seniority.
On the opposite side of the House, the Leader of the Opposition and leaders of various legislative parties occupy seats allocated according to the numerical strength of their respective parties.
According to reports citing Assembly sources, no previous Tamil Nadu Chief Minister had been known to occupy a seat designated for ministers during proceedings, making Vijay’s brief shift particularly noticeable.
Vijay had arrived at the Assembly after attending government programmes earlier in the day. Before participating in legislative proceedings, he also chaired a high-level review meeting concerning the rescue and evacuation of Tamil Nadu residents stranded in Nepal following devastating flash floods.
According to officials, 103 people from Tamil Nadu had travelled to Nepal in two groups. The first group consisted of 54 people from Tamil Nadu and three from Puducherry, while the second group included 49 people from Tamil Nadu.
The Chief Minister’s meeting focused on efforts to ascertain the whereabouts of those stranded and coordinate assistance for their safe return amid the difficult conditions caused by the floods.
Vijay, who has completed more than 100 days as Chief Minister, has also overseen several major policy announcements and legislative initiatives during his early tenure. His government has introduced key Bills in the Tamil Nadu Assembly and announced measures covering sectors including healthcare, agriculture, women’s welfare and the functioning of elected representatives.
One of the significant decisions announced earlier this month was an increase in maternity leave for women government employees having a third child. The leave period was raised from 12 weeks to 365 days.
The government also announced an increase in Aavin’s milk procurement price from Rs 38 to Rs 41 per litre. The move is expected to benefit more than 3.16 lakh milk producers across the state.
Another major announcement concerned members of the legislative Assembly. Vijay said all MLAs would be provided government vehicles along with a monthly package of Rs 1 lakh.
The package includes Rs 75,000 towards fuel, vehicle maintenance and driver-related expenses, while Rs 25,000 would be allocated for an assistant to manage office-related work.
While these policy decisions have drawn attention to Vijay’s administration, his unexpected seating arrangement in the Assembly became a talking point on Thursday. The visual of the Chief Minister sitting alongside his cabinet colleagues quickly spread across social media, adding another unusual moment to the TVK leader’s first phase in office.
