After a 4-day-long political tussle, Actor-cum-Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) President C. Joseph Vijay was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, May 10.
This marked a historic political shift in the state, which saw an end to nearly six decades of alternating rule by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Vijay at a grand ceremony held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.
Along with Vijay, nine ministers have also been sworn in alongside him as part of the new council of ministers.
Rahul Gandhi and other leaders attend Vijay’s swearing-in ceremony
Tamil Nadu CM’s swearing-in ceremony was attended by several national and regional political leaders, including Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi; film personalities; party workers; and thousands of supporters, prompting authorities to enforce massive security arrangements in and around the venue.
As per IANS, Chennai city police deployed heavy security, intensified vehicle checks and imposed strict access control measures around the stadium ahead of the ceremony.
Furthermore, special seating arrangements were made for prominent guests attending the swearing-in 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 media and fans gathered at the venue.
TVK crosses 118-mark to form government in Tamil Nadu
Vijay assumes office after 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 last few days.
VCK and IUML extended their support to TVK
The uncertainty finally 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.
Earlier, the Congress, the Communist Party of India (CPI), and the Communist Party of India-Marxist had also backed the TVK, enabling the actor-turned-politician to stake a claim to form the government.
A historic moment for Tamil Nadu
The swearing-in of Vijay marks a watershed moment in Tamil Nadu politics, as a non-Dravidian party has come to power in the state for the first time since 1967. Political observers view the development as a major realignment in the state’s political landscape, long dominated by the DMK and AIADMK.
(With inputs from IANS)