Vijay takes oath as Tamil Nadu CM, ends decades of DMK-AIADMK dominance

In a watershed moment for Tamil Nadu politics, actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay on Sunday took oath as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, bringing an end to nearly six decades of alternating rule by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

The oath of office and secrecy was administered by R.N. Ravi at a grand ceremony held at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai amid thunderous cheers from party workers and supporters.

Nine ministers were sworn in alongside Vijay as part of the new Council of Ministers, marking the formal beginning of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government.

The ceremony drew an influential gathering of political leaders, film stars, industrialists and dignitaries from across the country. Among those present was Rahul Gandhi, leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, whose attendance underscored the national political significance of Vijay’s rise.

Authorities enforced extensive security arrangements across Chennai for the high-profile event. Chennai City Police deployed heavy police personnel around the stadium, intensified vehicle checks and imposed strict access-control measures to manage the large crowds and VIP movement.

Special seating arrangements were made for prominent guests attending the swearing-in ceremony.

In the front row sat Vijay’s parents — veteran filmmaker S.A. Chandrasekhar and Shoba Chandrasekhar — whose emotional presence became one of the defining moments of the day.

Actor Trisha Krishnan and her mother were also seated prominently, attracting significant media and public attention. Before the ceremony began, Trisha was seen warmly interacting with Vijay’s mother, a moment that quickly became a talking point across television channels and social media platforms.

Vijay assumes office after the TVK-led alliance secured the backing 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 initially fell short of an outright majority, triggering intense political negotiations over the past several days.

The deadlock ended on Saturday evening after the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) extended support to the Vijay-led alliance.

Earlier, the Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) backed the TVK, enabling Vijay to formally stake claim to form the government.

Following the securing of support, Vijay met governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Lok Bhavan in Chennai on Saturday night and submitted letters of support from all five allies. The Governor subsequently invited him to form the ministry and directed the new government to prove its majority on the floor of the assembly on or before 13 May.

Political observers described Vijay’s swearing-in as a historic political realignment in Tamil Nadu, where power had remained firmly within the Dravidian political framework since 1967.

The rise of a non-Dravidian political formation to power has now opened an entirely new chapter in the state’s political history, reshaping the contours of Tamil Nadu’s electoral landscape and signalling the arrival of a powerful new force in regional politics.

With IANS inputs