TVK chief Chandrasekar Joseph Vijay was sworn in as the 9th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu today (May 10) at a gala event in the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to Vijay, who heads the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
The event marks the first non-Dravidian party to form the government in the state, breaking the traditional domination of AIADMK and the DMK. The TVK, which created a record by winning 108 seats in its debut assembly polls, now has the support of 120 MLAs in the 234-member assembly. The majority mark in the assembly is 118.
Along with Vijay, nine other ministers took oath, including ministers 'Bussy' N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, K A Sengottaiyan, besides K G Arunraaj, P Venkataramanan, C T R Nirmal Kumar, A Rajmohan, Keerthana and K T Prabhu. The new Cabinet comprises a woman minister S Keerthana.
Vijay is expected to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly through a vote of confidence on or before May 13.
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 has embraced Dravidian politics while pitching himself as an alternative to traditional Dravidian parties.
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