TVK chief Chandrasekar Joseph Vijay was sworn in as the ninth Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday (May 10). Governor Rajendra Vishwanath administered the oath of office and secrecy in a colourful ceremony held at the Nehru Stadium in Chennai. Thousands of people gathered at the venue to witness the historic swearing-in ceremony of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief as Tamil Nadu's new Chief Minister.
Amid continuous whistling and cheers by cadres of TVK and in the presence of senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Vijay took oath as Chief Minister in the name of God.
Amid continuous "whistling" by TVK cadres and in the presence of top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Vijay took oath as the Chief Minister in the name of God, and the ministers too took the oath in the name of God, unlike most in the outgoing DMK regime.
TVK leaders Aadhav Arjuna, N Anand, and KA Sengottaiyan, among others, took oath as ministers in Vijay-led cabinet.
Here's the list of Tamil Nadu Cabinet ministers
- N Anand
- Aadhav Arjuna
- KG Arunraj
- KA Sengottaiyan
- P Venkataramanan
- R Nirmalkumar
- Rajmohan
- TK Prabhu
- S Keerthana
Thalapathy Vijay
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.
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 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.
Also Read: Vijay takes oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, ends decades-old DMK-AIADMK era
Also Read: Vijay oath ceremony LIVE: Vijay sworn in as 9th Tamil Nadu CM, 9 ministers inducted into his Cabinet
