TVK chief Vijay sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister

Chandrasekar Joseph Vijay, chief of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and leader of its Legislature Party, was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy at a colourful ceremony held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.

Amid loud cheers and continuous whistling by TVK cadres, Vijay took the oath in the name of God in the presence of senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The ministers in the new Cabinet also took an oath in the name of God, unlike many in the outgoing Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government.

The Vijay-led Cabinet includes TVK leaders ‘Bussy’ N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, K A Sengottaiyan, K G Arunraaj, P Venkataramanan, C T R Nirmal Kumar, A Rajmohan, S Keerthana and K T Prabhu, who were sworn in as ministers. Vijay is expected to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly through a confidence motion on or before May 13.

The swearing-in marks a historic political shift in Tamil Nadu, with a non-Dravidian party coming to power in the state for the first time, ending the decades-long dominance of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Vijay secured the support of four MLAs from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the Indian Union Muslim League on Saturday, paving the way for his appointment as Chief Minister.

With Sunday’s swearing-in, Vijay also became the first actor in Tamil Nadu’s history to secure a majority mandate and assume office as Chief Minister in his very first electoral contest.
(With PTI inputs)