C. Joseph Vijay, actor-turned-politician and president of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), was sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, 10 May, ending nearly six decades of unbroken alternating rule by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). The oath of office and secrecy was administered by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at a grand ceremony held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai — a historic first for a non-Dravidian party since 1967.

The Swearing-In Ceremony

Nine ministers were simultaneously sworn in alongside Vijay as part of the new council of ministers. The ceremony drew a large and high-profile gathering, including Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, prominent film personalities, party workers, and thousands of supporters. Chennai city police deployed heavy security, enforced intensified vehicle checks, and imposed strict access control measures around the stadium ahead of the function.

In the front row, seats were reserved for Vijay's parents — veteran filmmaker S.A. Chandrasekhar and Shobha Chandrasekhar. Actor Trisha Krishnan and her mother were also allotted seats in the same row, drawing considerable attention from the assembled media and fans.

How the Alliance Was Formed

The TVK-led alliance secured the support of 120 MLAs in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, comfortably crossing the majority mark of 118 required to form the government. While the TVK emerged as the single largest party in the recently concluded Assembly elections, it fell short of an outright majority, triggering intense political negotiations over the preceding days.

The uncertainty ended on Saturday evening after the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) extended their support to the Vijay-led formation. The Indian National Congress (Congress), the Communist Party of India (CPI), and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) had earlier backed the TVK as well.

Following the confirmation of support, Vijay met Governor Arlekar at Lok Bhavan in Chennai on Saturday night and submitted letters of support from all five allies — the Congress, the CPI, the CPI-M, the VCK, and the IUML. The Governor subsequently appointed Vijay as Chief Minister-designate and invited him to form the ministry. The new Chief Minister has also been directed to seek a vote of confidence in the Assembly on or before 13 May.

A Historic Political Realignment

Political observers describe Vijay's swearing-in as a watershed moment in Tamil Nadu's political history. A non-Dravidian party has come to power in the state for the first time since 1967 — a span of nearly 58 years during which the DMK and AIADMK alternated in government without interruption. The development is widely viewed as a significant realignment in a state long defined by Dravidian ideology and its two dominant political machines.

With the vote of confidence due by 13 May, Vijay's next immediate test will be consolidating his coalition on the floor of the House — a process that will set the tone for his government's early days in office.