C Joseph Vijay takes oath as CM of Tamil Nadu, political uncertainty ends after four days: Details  

C Joseph Vijay oath ceremony
Vijay takes oath as Tamil Nadu CM (Image via ANI)

After four days of intense political uncertainty and backroom discussions, C. Joseph Vijay finally took the oath as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, 10th May. The swearing-in ceremony was held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where leaders from different political parties, film personalities and supporters gathered to witness the historic moment. With this, Vijay officially became the first Chief Minister in the state since 1967 to come from neither the DMK nor the AIADMK.

Several prominent personalities attended the ceremony, including Rahul Gandhi, Vijay’s parents, SA Chandrasekhar and Shoba Chandrasekhar, and actors from the Tamil film industry such as Trisha Krishnan.

Soon after taking the oath, Vijay delivered a speech and thanked the people of Tamil Nadu for supporting him. He said, “I don’t know how to begin or what to say at this emotional moment. I did not come from a prince’s family. I came from among you like a member of your family, like your brother. You embraced me with love and gave me a great place in the cinema.”

Calling it the beginning of a new political chapter, he further said, “This is a new beginning. A new era of real, secular, social justice starts now.”

First decisions signed by TVK government

Immediately after the oath ceremony, Vijay signed the first set of official documents as Chief Minister. These included an announcement of 200 units of free electricity for households, the formation of a special task force to tackle the growing drug problem in the state, and another special task force focused on women’s safety.

The decisions were presented as the first major steps of the new TVK government and were aimed at sending a strong political message about welfare and law and order.

Government formation after four days of uncertainty 

Vijay’s swearing-in came after nearly four days of political suspense in the state. The Governor had earlier refused to immediately invite him to form the government, as there were doubts over whether TVK had enough support to cross the majority mark in the 234-member Assembly.

The breakthrough came on Saturday, 9th May, after Vijay met Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and submitted letters of support from multiple parties. Following this, Lok Bhavan confirmed that Vijay had been invited to form the government and asked to prove his majority in the Assembly before May 13.

Parties that backed TVK

Vijay now has the support of 120 MLAs, comfortably above the majority mark of 118 seats. Major support came from the Indian National Congress, which extended support with five MLAs after breaking its long-standing alliance with the DMK.

Support also came from the Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). However, these parties have clarified that while they are supporting TVK, they are not formally joining the alliance.

Saturday was Vijay’s fourth meeting with Governor Arlekar in four days. Earlier meetings reportedly ended without any decision because the Governor was not fully convinced about the numbers. Vijay spent the last few days holding discussions with different parties and gathering support letters to strengthen his claim.

He was accompanied during his meetings by senior TVK leaders KA Sengottaiyan and Aadhav Arjuna. The political situation changed dramatically after Congress decided to walk away from the DMK alliance and back TVK, helping Vijay build enough support to finally form the government in Tamil Nadu.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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