Tamil Nadu CM Vijay, other newly elected MLAs take oath in Assembly

Chennai: Newly elected members of the 234-member Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly took oath on Monday, a day after C Joseph Vijay was sworn in as chief minister. This marks Vijay’s first appearance in the Assembly as chief minister after leading his party TVK to victory in the April 23 Assembly elections, securing 108 seats.

TVK MLA from Sholavandan, M V Karuppaiah, who was appointed pro-tem Speaker on Sunday, administered the oath to the newly elected members. MLAs began arriving at the Assembly complex ahead of the oath-taking ceremony scheduled for 9.30 am, carrying their election certificates.

Soon after assuming office on Sunday, Vijay announced the first set of measures aimed at implementing his poll assurances. These included 200 units of free electricity for domestic consumers, subject to a maximum consumption of 500 units during a two-month billing cycle. The new government also announced the formation of 65 anti-narcotic task force units across Tamil Nadu to strengthen action against drug-related crimes.

In another key announcement, Vijay ordered the setting up of a special women’s safety force named ‘Singa Pen Sirappu Athiradi Padai’ to ensure quicker action on complaints related to women’s safety. While rolling out the first initiatives, Vijay said his government had assumed office amid severe financial constraints and claimed Tamil Nadu was burdened with debt exceeding ₹10 lakh crore.

The TVK manifesto includes a series of welfare promises, including ₹2,500 monthly assistance for women below 60 years, six free LPG cylinders annually per family, marriage assistance with 8 gm gold, support schemes for newborns, farm loan waivers, unemployment aid, healthcare expansion, and five lakh new government jobs.