Chennai witnessed a striking transfer of authority on Sunday as Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam founder C Joseph Vijay took oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, capping four days of intense bargaining after a fractured Assembly verdict and immediately signalling that decision-making in the new government would rest firmly with him.
“There will be no power centre other than me. I will be the only centre of power,” Vijay said in his first address after assuming office, a remark aimed as much at allies as at voters who had backed his two-year-old party’s dramatic electoral rise. The statement sought to project stability after TVK fell short of a majority on its own and needed external support to form the government.
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai at 10am. Nine ministers were sworn in alongside Vijay, giving the new administration a compact opening team as it prepares for an early test of strength in the 234-member Assembly.
TVK won 108 seats in its debut Assembly election, emerging as the single largest party but stopping short of the 118-seat majority mark. Support from the Indian National Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, the Indian Union Muslim League and Left parties allowed Vijay to cross the threshold after prolonged negotiations. Political accounts placed the backing for the new government at around 120 MLAs, though the arithmetic remains sensitive because Vijay won two constituencies and must vacate one seat.
The oath-taking marked a rupture in Tamil Nadu’s political order, where power had alternated for decades between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Vijay’s victory has drawn comparisons with earlier actor-politicians, but the new Chief Minister’s immediate challenge is less cinematic than administrative: holding together a diverse support bloc, managing expectations from a personality-driven campaign and demonstrating that TVK can move from mobilisation to governance.
Vijay used his first speech to balance command with humility. He described himself as a “common man” and told supporters he was not an “angel”, framing his ascent as a public mandate rather than a personality cult. Yet his assertion of a single power centre made clear that he intends to prevent the new government from becoming hostage to coalition pressure or rival camps within the ruling arrangement.
His first orders were designed to convert campaign messaging into visible action. The government cleared 200 units of free electricity for domestic consumers, approved a dedicated force for women’s safety and moved to create anti-drug units across districts. These steps align with TVK’s election promises on welfare, public security and youth protection, while also placing fiscal discipline under scrutiny from the outset.
State finances are likely to become the first major battlefield. Vijay has accused the outgoing administration of leaving Tamil Nadu with a debt burden exceeding ₹10 lakh crore and promised a white paper on the state’s financial condition. Former Chief Minister M K Stalin has defended his government’s record, pointing to welfare spending, natural disasters and constraints linked to the Union government as factors shaping the state’s fiscal position.
The political transition followed an unsettled post-result phase. Vijay staked claim after TVK became the largest party, but the Governor sought proof of majority support before inviting him to form the government. The delay fuelled speculation over alternative combinations involving the DMK, AIADMK and smaller parties. Support letters from key parties finally cleared the way for the swearing-in.
Rahul Gandhi’s presence at the ceremony underscored the importance of Congress support in the new arrangement. The party’s five MLAs have become important to Vijay’s majority calculus, even as other smaller formations extend support while seeking space in the new balance of power. That alignment gives Vijay the numbers to govern, but not the comfort of a commanding legislative majority.
For the DMK, the transition marks a sharp reversal after its 2021 victory and its strong performance in the 2024 parliamentary election. For the AIADMK, the result deepens questions over its ability to reclaim the anti-DMK space. For TVK, the mandate has delivered office before the party has had time to build deep organisational roots across government, legislature and local administration.
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