Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has made his first appearance in the Legislative Assembly. The swearing-in ceremony for the TVK's MLAs is taking place at the state assembly.
Journey Of C Joseph Vijay
On February 2, 2024, C. Joseph Vijay officially announced his political party, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK).
After founding the political party, his first major conference was in Vikravandi in October 2024, where he expressed that the BJP is his ideological opponent and the DMK is his political rival.
Then he chose to skip the 2024 Lok Sabha Election and decided to contest the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly Polls directly.
On September 27, 2025, C. Joseph Vijay and his party, TVK, held a political rally in Karur district, which was widely described as the worst stampede in Tamil Nadu's history.
A massive crowd of about 30,000 gathered at the venue, which had space for only 2,000 to 10,000 people. The situation even got worse when Vijay arrived at the place nearly 7 hours late, well past the scheduled time. All these made the crowd uncontrollable and wild.
Lack of power backup during the power failure in the chaos escalated the panic among the crowd, which led to the death of 41 people, including nine children, and over 100 others were severely injured.
Despite this tragic incident in Karur, TVK performed well in the district's urban areas, and the political party eventually won the Krishnarayapuram seat. Vijay and his political party dedicated their election win to the victims of the Karur incident.
In the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Election, TVK won 108 of the 234 seats, a historic victory. Also, it brought the party below the majority mark required to secure 118 seats in the election and form a stable government.
So, Vijay sought support from all other parties to form the government. Congress was the first political party to lend its support to TVK, snapping its long-standing ties with DMK.
Then came CPI, the second party to come forward and show support for Vijay, and its subsequent supporters, CPI(M), extended their support. The final breakthrough occurred when VCK and the Indian Union Muslim League added their support, bringing TVK's total seats to 120 and making the party stable enough to form a government.
On May 10, 2026, C. Joseph Vijay was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, becoming the first CM not from the DMK or AIADMK, breaking the 60-year alternating rule between the two Dravidian giants.
Controversies
During his maiden speech after being sworn in as the CM of Tamil Nadu, he told the people to come together to build a real, secular, social justice.
And he has also asked for some time to fulfil all the manifestos he made during the campaign.
He said that he would release a Transparency Report on Tamil Nadu's finances and also alleged that the previous DMK government left the state with a ₹10 lakh crore debt and emptied the state's treasury, leaving his new government in a fiscal crisis.
To which the leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), MK Stalin, has responded, saying, "Do not say there is no money at the very beginning. It is there. What is required is the mind to give it to people and an efficient administration." And DMK has also managed the COVID-19 pandemic and floods despite the Union government's neglect in providing funds to the state during these difficult times.
And he has also said that the new CM will learn the complexities of fulfilling all of his promises.
During the oath ceremony of the new CM, C Joseph Vijay, "Vande Mataram" was played at the beginning, followed by the "National Anthem", and "Thamizh Thaai Vaazhthu" was played as the third. This sparked debate, with other politicians stating that in all other government functions in Tamil Nadu, the "Thamizh Thaai Vaazhthu" will be played at the beginning, followed by the national anthem, and that this is the first time the ritual has changed.
To which the newly sworn-in minister Aadhav Arjuna has responded that the protocol was implemented by the Lok Bhavan and the governor's office, and the TVK member accepted it due to "unavoidable circumstances" during the swearing-in ceremony.
The opposition party DMK has accused Vijay of bowing to the Union government's pressure on the very first day of the new government's formation.
Minister Aadhav Arjuna has stated that this is a one-time deviation and has also assured that, in all upcoming government functions, the "Thamizh thaai vaazhthu" will be played first, followed by the national anthem.
Immediate Governance Actions
Immediately after being sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, he signed a series of high-priority files to fulfil his manifesto as the new CM
200 units of free electricity for domestic consumers
Formation of specialised anti-drug trafficking units
Creation of a dedicated state force for women's safety
Assembly Debut
On May 11, 2026, Vijay debuted in the legislative assembly as the new CM of Tamil Nadu. This morning, during the inaugural session of the 17th assembly, when he was sworn in as an MLA alongside other newly elected MLAs, the house was being taken over by the pro tem speaker, MV Karuppaiah, who was elected by the governor of Tamil Nadu, RV Arlekar.
MV Karuppaiah is a senior member of TVK and was also elected as an MLA from Sholavandan.
The election for the permanent speaker will be held tomorrow in the legislative assembly chamber at the Secretariat, Fort St. George, Chennai, at 09:30 a.m. The house would elect both the speaker and the deputy speaker during this session.
Upcoming Floor Test
As the governor, RV Arlekar has asked the new government to prove its majority on the floor of the house, and the vote of confidence is scheduled for May 13, 2026.
