"Big day for Tamil Nadu," says TVK's S Keerthana ahead of Vijay's swearing-in ceremony

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 10 : Ahead of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay taking the oath as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, TVK MLA-elect from the Sivakasi constituency, S. Keerthana, termed the occasion a "big day" for the state and said people had been eagerly waiting for this moment.

Speaking to reporters, Keerthana said, "Today is a big day for Tamil Nadu and the public of the state... This is the moment everybody has been waiting for."

The TVK President is about to leave his Neelankarai residence around 9 AM today to take an oath as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for 10 AM at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, where security has been heightened ahead of the event.

Vijay will assume office after TVK secured 118 seats, the minimum required for a majority in the Assembly. The party received support from the Congress, which won 5 seats, along with the Communist Party of India (2), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (2), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (2), and the Indian Union Muslim League (2).

Following the coalition support, the Governor of Tamil Nadu invited Vijay to form the government. The oath-taking will mark TVK's first government in the state, with Vijay taking charge as Chief Minister.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will be attending the swearing-in ceremony at Nehru Stadium in Chennai.

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Saturday appointed TVK leader C Joseph Vijay as the new Chief Minister of the State and asked him to prove his majority in the Assembly before May 13.

Vijay, an actor-turned-politician, submitted letters of support from Congress, CPI, Communist Party of India (Marxist), VCK and IUML to the Governor.

After he takes the oath, Vijay will become the first leader outside the DMK and AIADMK formations to head the Tamil Nadu government since 1967.

Vijay, popularly 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.

Vijay has embraced Dravidian politics while pitching himself as an alternative to traditional Dravidian parties. On October 28, 2024, in what is regarded as his first political speech, Vijay called Periyar his ideological leader, while noting that the party will not adopt his atheism. He also referred to CN Annadurai, K Kamaraj and Babasaheb BR Ambedkar as the party's leaders for the idea of social justice.

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 the 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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