TVK Chief Vijay Takes Oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister After Historic Electoral Victory

CHENNAI: Chandrasekhar Joseph Vijay on Sunday took oath as the 13th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu following the historic victory of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam in the 2026 Assembly elections.

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Vijay’s parents, actress Trisha Krishnan and several political leaders and supporters attended the swearing-in ceremony.

Apart from Vijay, nine other TVK leaders — N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, KA Sengottaiyan, KG Arunraj, P Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan, TK Prabhu and S Keerthana — also took oath as ministers in the maiden TVK cabinet.

Ahead of the ceremony, Vijay welcomed Governor Arlekar to the venue and introduced him to the ministers-designate.

The 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections marked a major political shift in the state, with TVK winning 108 seats in its electoral debut.

The elections also witnessed the ouster of both major Dravidian parties from power for the first time in Tamil Nadu’s political history.

Although TVK fell short of the majority mark on its own, the party later secured support from the Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India Marxist, Communist Party of India, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and Indian Union Muslim League.

Vijay, popularly known as “Thalapathy”, drew massive crowds during election rallies, with many comparing his popularity and political appeal to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M G Ramachandran.

Tamil Nadu has witnessed several actors entering politics over the decades, including former actor-politician Vijayakanth.

Vijay launched Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam in 2024 after years of speculation about his political entry. Before formally entering politics, he was associated with various social initiatives and often addressed social and political themes such as corruption and drug abuse through his films.

In the 2026 Assembly elections, Vijay won from both Perambur and Trichy East Assembly constituencies and is expected to vacate one of the seats.(Agencies)