Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 10 : Tamil Nadu marked a new dawn of politics on Sunday morning as Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief C Joseph Vijay took oath as 13th Chief Minister of the state.
After Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to Vijay and 9 ministers of his cabinet, the actor-turned- politician in his first speech expressed gratitude to the public for his victory.
He gave a clarion call, "Come, let all of us together give Tamil Nadu a fresh new government. This is a new beginning the start of a new era of secular, social justice.
As he began speaking, the venue of the ceremony at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, erupted in cheers.
"My dear people, my own family I am not some divine messenger or prophet. I am just an ordinary human being living a normal life. I will never deceive you with false promises. I will only promise what is possible," Vijay said stressing on his humble background.
The TVK chief promised to fulfil the promises he made to the public ahead of the elections, and said that he is indebted to the Tamil Nadu people.
"Come, let all of us together give Tamil Nadu a fresh new government. This is a new beginning the start of a new era of secular, social justice," the new chief minister said to resounding applause.
In an emotional speech, Vijay said," I do not come from a royal family. I am just like your son, your daughter, your elder brother, or your younger brother. That is how I see myself. And it was because you saw me that way that you gave me such a great place in cinema."
"Now, leaving all of that behind and entering politics to repay my debt of gratitude to you, you embraced me with so much love and affection, saying, 'We are here for you, Vijay. We will take care of everything."
In a nod to the support he recieved from the Gen Z voters, he said 'Vijay Mama' will always be there for them.
A special word of thanks to the little friends who call me 'Vijay Mama.' It is because of them that all of this has happened.
"I will repay my debt of gratitude to you by working for your future. Stay confident this Vijay Mama will always be there for you," he said.
The 51-year-old was flanked by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and leaders of the alliance partners -VCK, CPI and CPI(M) who extended support to the TVK to push it past the required majority mark to form the government in the State.
He thanked the top leadership of the Congress party, including Rahul Gandhi, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and General Secretary KC Venugopal.
After taking oath, he signed his first documents at the stage as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He was joined by LoP Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who sat next to him.
Along with Vijay, nine other TVK leaders, including N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, KA Sengottaiyan, KG Arunraj, P Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan, TK Prabhu and S Keerthana took oath as ministers in his maiden cabinet.
The 2026 Tamil Nadu elections were registered in history books after the state declared an unprecedented mandate for Vijay. While TVK ended up winning 108 out of 234 seats in its maiden political stint, it was for the first time in the history of state politics that both legacy 'Dravidian' parties were ousted from power.
However, Vijay couldn't attain majority on its and was later offered support by Congress (5), CPI-M (2), CPI (2), VCK (2) and IUML (2), which were earlier the allies of Secular Progressive Alliance led by DMK.
Vijay, often referred to as the 'Thalapathy', showed a crowd-pulling ability in the election rallies, which many compared to actor-turned-politician and former CM MG Ramachandran. While Tamil Nadu has had a long history of actors entering and conquering politics, the State awaited another star to step up in the line after Captain Vijayakanth.
He has also embraced his Christian identity while being outspoken about secular politics.
Although the TVK was launched in 2024, he has been looked at as a social worker and has not been apolitical, given his films, which dealt with drug menace, corruption and other socio-political issues. While there has been speculation of him entering politics since 2009, Vijay has involved himself in social work.
In the 2026 elections, he won two seats, Perambur and Trichy East, and will resign from one.
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