Chennai, Tamil Nadu: On Sunday, following the great success in Assembly elections, the founder of Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) and actor-turned-politician, Joseph Vijay was sworn in as the ninth Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
The Governor of Tamil Nadu, R.N Ravi administered the oath at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. Oath ceremony was attended by senior politicians and great figures including Vijay’s parents, actress Trisha Krishna, and LoP Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.
Alongside Vijay, TVK’s nine leaders are inducted into the cabinet. The ministers included in the cabinet are N. T.K. Prabhu, Aadhav Arjuna, K.A. Sengottaiyan, S. Rajmohan, K.G. Arunraj, P. Venkataramanan, R. Nirmalkumar, Anand, and S. Keerthana.
Before taking oath during the ceremony, Vijay welcomed Governor and introduced him to designated ministers.
These elections of Tamil Nadu made a shift in state politics; ending the decades-long authority of the two principal Dravidian parities in Tamil Nadu politics. By contesting their first election, TVK got unprecedented mandate securing 108 seats out of 234.
However, Vijay’s TVK were not enabling to form government due to failure in attaining majority. Many opposition parties including Congress, CPI (M), CPI, VCK, and IUML, made alliance with TVK, making them able to form government.
Having ability to gain massive public support through his election campaigns, Vijay is referred as ‘Thalapathy’. Many political analysts have compared Vijay with former actor-politician and Chief Minister M. G. Ramachandran. In the history of politics of Tamil Nadu, many actors turned politicians came and won. After Captain Vijayakanth, Joseph Vijay is actor-turned-politician who won the elections.
In his public addresses he strongly defended secular governance, while embracing his Christian faith.
Although the party was formed in 2024, Vijay was seen as a social worker and remained apolitical. His films criticized the social evils like drugs smuggling, corruption. His continued participation in welfare and public activities has accompanied his transition into active politics.
In the 2026 Assembly elections, Vijay has contested and won both Perambur and Tiruchy East seats and is expected that he will vacate one of the seats in accordance with the electoral rules.
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