Marking a new chapter in Tamil Nadu politics, C. Joseph Vijay, the founder of the newly-formed party 'Tamilga Vazhvurimai Katchi' (TVK) and an actor-turned-politician, took oath as the 13th Chief Minister of the state on Sunday. He achieved this milestone by defeating the parties that have been in power in the state for decades, the DMK and the AIADMK. Vijay made a spectacular debut in the elections, ending the nearly 60-year political dominance of these two parties.
On Sunday morning, around 10 am, at a simple yet dignified ceremony held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Governor R. N. Ravi administered the oath of office and secrecy to Vijay and the nine members of his first cabinet. The ministers include TVK's General Secretary N. Anand, Adhu Arjun, K. A. Sengottaiyan, Dr. K. G. Arun Raj, P. Venkat Ramanan, R. Nirmal Kumar, Raj Mohan, Dr. T. K. Prabhu, and Ms. S. Kirthana. All these members took the oath in the Tamil language.
When Mr. Vijay was invited to take the oath and began with the words "I, C. Joseph Vijay...", the gathering applauded him with thunderous applause. Notably, Mr. Vijay wore a black pant, a white full-sleeved shirt, and a black coat, instead of the traditional Tamil attire. On this occasion, senior Congress leader and Opposition Leader in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also arrived. The Congress played a crucial role in the formation of the Vijay government, and he sat right next to Vijay on the stage.
Mr. Vijay made a spectacular debut in his first electoral test, winning 108 seats, including two seats he contested himself. Since Vijay won two seats, he has only 107 MLAs. He faced a shortfall of 11 members to achieve the required majority of 118, which the Congress helped to fulfill and provide a majority.
Apart from the Congress, the Indian Communist Party (CPI), the Marxist Communist Party (CPI-M), the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), and the local party VCK also offered support. Thus, the way was paved for Vijay to form a government in the state. He visited the Raj Bhavan on Saturday evening with letters of support from all these parties and staked his claim to form the government. The Governor immediately appointed him as the Chief Minister and invited him to the oath-taking ceremony.
The parties supporting the Vijay government, including the Congress, have five and two MLAs, respectively. With the Congress joining the government, this will be the first time in Tamil Nadu's political history that a coalition government will be formed.
The oath-taking ceremony was attended by Mr. Vijay's parents, S. A. Chandrasekhar and Shobha Chandrasekhar, as well as leaders of various political parties, opposition leaders, and prominent personalities from different walks of life. The ceremony began with 'Vande Mataram', the national anthem, and 'Tamil Thai Vazhthu'. After that, Mr. Vijay and other members of his cabinet were administered the oath.
Before the ceremony, a large number of TVK supporters stood in lines on both sides of the roads leading to the stadium, welcoming Vijay with great enthusiasm. For the benefit of the public who could not enter the stadium due to lack of space, several large LCD screens were installed at various locations around the venue, where the oath-taking ceremony was broadcast live.
