Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Sunday chaired a high-level meeting at the Secretariat here to review the prevailing law and order situation across Tamil Nadu.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister held detailed discussions with senior officials on maintaining public order and inter-departmental coordination.
Top officials including Chief Secretary M Saikumar, Home Secretary K Manivasan, DGP Sandeep Rai Rathore, CM Secretary I P Senthilkumar, Secretary II G Laxmi Priya and others were present in the meeting.
CM Vijay pays tribute to Periyar
C Joseph Vijay on Sunday visited Periyar Thidal in Vepery and paid floral tributes to social reformer 'Periyar' EV Ramasamy at his memorial, underlining the ideological significance of the Dravidian icon in the State's political landscape.
Vijay later met K Veeramani, president of the Dravidar Kazhagam, at the Periyar Thidal premises.
Veeramani congratulated Vijay on assuming office as Chief Minister and exchanged greetings with him during the meeting.
The visit assumes political significance as it marked Vijay's first public homage to Periyar after formally taking charge as Chief Minister, signalling the new government's emphasis on the principles of social justice and rationalist politics closely associated with the Dravidian movement.
Ministers KA Sengottaiyan, Aadhav Arjuna and senior party functionaries accompanied the Chief Minister during the visit.
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Sunday resigned as the MLA representing the Tiruchy East Assembly constituency, after formally assuming office as Chief Minister.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader and Minister K A Sengottaiyan submitted Vijay’s resignation letter to Assembly Secretary K Srinivasan at the Assembly Secretariat.
Having won from both the Perambur and Tiruchy East Assembly constituencies in the 2026 Assembly election, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has now resigned as the MLA from Tiruchy East, and will continue to represent the Perambur constituency in the Assembly.
The government has appointed TVK's Karuppiah MV, MLA-elect from Sholavandan constituency, as the Pro-tem Speaker, who will preside over the MLAs’ oath-taking ceremony. Before he can preside over the ceremony, he will take oath as an MLA in the presence of the Governor.
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Sunday signed his first three executive orders, announcing free electricity for consumption up to 200 units once every two months, the creation of a special “Singappen” rapid response force for women’s safety, and the establishment of anti-narcotics units across the State.
Tamil superstar and TVK leader Joseph C Vijay was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
Vijay took oath choosing to affirm his commitment by invoking God.
Reading from the prescribed text, he said: “I, Joseph C Vijay, swear in the name of God that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India…”
The oath-taking ceremony, attended by thousands of cheering supporters, marks a historic transition from cinema to the top political office. Governor R V Arlekar administered the oath.
1. TVK chief C Joseph Vijay to take oath as Tamil Nadu's 17th Chief Minister shortly
2. Governor-in-charge RV Arlekar invited Vijay to form the government after the TVK secured majority support on May 9 (Saturday).
3. The TVK now has the backing of 120 MLAs-elect, including 107 of its own.
4. The party must prove its majority in the Assembly by or on May 13.
5. The breakthrough came after the VCK and IUML extended support to the TVK yesterday evening.
6. VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan denied reports of cabinet post negotiations.
7. CPM, CPI, VCK and IUML said their support was aimed at avoiding a constitutional crisis.
8. The parties clarified that their political alignment with the DMK remains unchanged.
9. Yesterday, Vijay met Governor-in-charge RV Arlekar for the fourth time in four days before staking claim.
10. DMK chief MK Stalin welcomed the move but criticised the Congress for snapping ties with the alliance.
TVK chief and CM-elect C Joseph Vijay welcomed Governor in charge RV Arlekar at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium ahead of his swearing in as chief minister.
Senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi arrived in Chennai on Sunday morning to attend the swearing-in ceremony of TVK chief C Joseph Vijay as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. He was received at Chennai airport by TNCC president Selvaperunthagai, Congress functionary Praveen Chakravarty and other party leaders before leaving for Nehru Stadium, the venue of the ceremony.
Additional security arrangements were made at the airport by CISF personnel and local police in view of Rahul Gandhi’s visit.
Chief Minister-designate C. Joseph Vijay has recommended a list of nine persons to be appointed as Ministers in the new Tamil Nadu government. The recommendation has been approved by the Governor of Tamil Nadu, according to an official press release issued from Lok Bhavan.
The ministers who will be sworn in along with Chief Minister-designate C. Joseph Vijay are:
N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, KG Arunraj, KA Sengottaiyan, P. Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan, TK Prabhu and S Keerthana.
The official announcement stated that the Governor approved the recommendations submitted by the Chief Minister-designate regarding the constitution of the new Council of Ministers.
The swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place shortly in Chennai.
Vijay is set to take oath tomorrow at 10 am following the conclusion of talks with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Lok Bhavan.
Following the VCK, the Indian Union Muslim League, led by K M Kader Mohideen, on Saturday extended its unconditional support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam for government formation in Tamil Nadu
TVK leaders K A Sengottaiyan and K G Arunraj received the letter of support from the IUML national president.
TVK general secretary (election campaign management) Aadhav Arjuna received the letter of support from VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan. With this, the TVK has secured the magic number of 118.
TTV Dhinakaran on Saturday questioned the authenticity of the letter claiming support of AMMK MLA S Kamaraj to the TVK, asking why the original document has not been produced.
Raising a series of questions, Dhinakaran asked where the original copy of the alleged support letter was and why only a copy had been circulated.
He also sought to know where the video—purportedly showing Kamaraj signing the document—was filmed, and questioned the delay in producing the original letter.
The AMMK leader reiterated his allegation that the letter claiming Kamaraj’s support to the TVK was fabricated and demanded that the matter be investigated.
CPI(M) national general secretary MA Baby on Friday said it was not the Governor’s role to demand that TVK chief Vijay prove his legislative majority.
Speaking in an interview in Madurai, Baby alleged that interference from Delhi had led to attempts to act against the people’s mandate in Tamil Nadu.
He further claimed that the BJP was trying to seize power and authority through the “backdoor” by using the AIADMK as a conduit.
With TVK holding 107 seats (minus Vijay's 2nd seat) on its own, Congress backing it with five seats, and CPI and CPM extending support with two seats each, the alliance tally stands at 116 in the 234-member Assembly, one short of the majority mark of 117. (Even if Vijay resigns one seat, reducing the House strength to 233, the majority mark remains 117.)
Efforts to explore a possible understanding between arch-rivals DMK and the AIADMK to thwart TVK leader C Joseph Vijay reportedly failed due to strong opposition from senior DMK leaders.
Sources said senior party figures, including deputy general secretary I Periyasami, and MPs Kanimozhi and A Raja, told the leadership that any move to back the AIADMK would dilute the party's ideology and political identity.
Reacting to reports of a possible DMK-AIADMK understanding, Kanimozhi termed them as speculation and declined to comment directly. "I cannot react to speculation. What the AIADMK says, I cannot respond to that," she told reporters.
Distancing itself from the fast-evolving political developments in the State, the BJP on Friday declared that it would neither participate in nor support any attempt to form a government, asserting that the people had not given the party a mandate for power.
Building pressure on Raj Bhavan to act on people's will, DMK president MK Stalin on Friday urged Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to immediately initiate constitutional procedures for the formation of a new government in the State following the declaration of Assembly election results.
Sources told DT Next that the party raised several demands, including deputy Chief Minister post for Thirumavalavan, who should be fielded from Tiruchy East constituency that Vijay has planned to vacate, cabinet posts for both MLAs-elect, and also allocating Chidambaram Lok Sabha seat, now represented by Thiruma, for the party.
Of these, TVK agreed to the demands for deputy CM post and Tiruchy East seat, sources said, adding that it said the remaining demands could be discussed in the coming days.
Around this time, Thiruma called on DMK president MK Stalin at his residence, setting off another round of speculations.
Finally, it all came to a pause after the VCK issued a statement that Thiruma would make a formal statement on the party’s decision on Saturday.
Earlier, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan had said that his party would take a decision in concurrence with the CPM and CPI – these three parties have two MLAs-elect each, which would have taken the TVK-Congress combine to the requisite majority mark.
However, though the two Left parties gave the formal letters supporting the TVK’s claim to form the next government, the VCK is holding out, citing a number of demands, including deputy Chief Minister post for Thirumavalavan and cabinet spots for its two MLAs-elect.
Ending days of deadlock, which led to furious efforts to stop C Joseph Vijay from becoming the next Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the Left parties and VCK have stepped in to extend support to the TVK’s claim to form the next government, on Friday.
Vijay’s TVK, which has 107 seats on its own (minus Vijay’s second seat) and the support of Congress’s 5, has now received the backing of CPM, CPI, and VCK – each with 2 seats – adding up to 118 seats in the 234-member house.
The CPI on Friday handed over its letter of support to TVK leader CTR Nirmal Kumar, while the CPM is expected to issue its letter shortly, DT Next has learnt.
Amid the rapidly shifting political landscape in Tamil Nadu following the Assembly election results, Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Friday (May 8) launched a sharp attack on the emerging understanding between the DMK and AIADMK to form a government, alleging that the BJP and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are orchestrating political developments in the State to prevent TVK leader Vijay from becoming Chief Minister.
Speaking to a private news agency in Delhi, Virudhunagar MP Manickam Tagore said the political situation in Tamil Nadu is changing “rapidly and unexpectedly,” comparing it to the Nitish Kumar version of Tamil Nadu politics.
He alleged that the BJP has begun exerting influence over the State’s major Dravidian parties. “AIADMK has already surrendered, and DMK has been taken under the control of the BJP,” he claimed, while asserting that the BJP itself lacks independent political strength in Tamil Nadu.
TNCC on Friday launched a statewide protest against Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar for his refusal to invite the TVK to form the government despite it emerging as the single largest party in the recently concluded Assembly elections.
Leading a spirited demonstration at Anna Salai in Chennai, AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, and TNCC President K Selvaperunthagai accused the Raj Bhavan of acting as a "puppet" of the BJP-led Centre and subverting democratic norms.
Speaking to reporters at the protest site, Chodankar launched a scathing attack on the Governor's delay in government formation.
"The Governor has a mission, but he is following (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah. That is his problem," Chodankar charged.
When asked about mounting speculation regarding a potential "outside support" arrangement between traditional rivals DMK and AIADMK to keep the TVK-Congress combine out of power, Chodankar said, "Let them come together. Let everyone get exposed before the people of Tamil Nadu.”
According to him, if that happens people will know who is really secular and who is ready to stand by them in this situation.
--- PTI
As Governor Arlekar declined TVK chief Vijay’s claim to form government, saying requisite numbers were not established, retd judge K Chandru cites the Justice Kurian Joseph panel’s recommendations for a hung Assemby. Sources said TVK’s inclusion of Congress MLAs had turned it into a coalition claim.
Is this a lawn test or floor test? Read Retd. Justice K Chandru's column here: https://www.dtnext.in/news/tamilnadu/is-this-a-lawn-test-or-floor-test
AIADMK MP M Thambidurai on Friday said public sentiments in Tamil Nadu were in favour of the party returning to power and exuded the hope that the organisation would be at the helm with "god's grace."
Declining to comment on the speculation over a post-poll pact with archrival DMK, he said he could say for certain that public sentiments were for the AIADMK to come back to power in the state.
"That is the feeling... there is public sentiment that AIADMK has to come to power. Whenever my leader Edappadi K Palaniswami visited them, public showed their emotions... that may happen in due course of time with god's grace," Thambidurai told reporters here.
The senior leader indicated that things would become clear in due course of time and that he hoped good things to happen. "My party, my leader will come back (to power)," he said.
---PTI
In a post on X, he said that when no political alliance or party secures a clear majority in the Assembly election, it is the Governor’s duty to invite the leader of the single largest party to form the government. He stated that this is the constitutional norm and parliamentary convention.
He further said that the appropriate forum for proving majority support is the Legislative Assembly and not the Governor’s residence, citing the Supreme Court ruling in the SR Bommai case (1994 (3) SCC 1). He also appreciated the political parties in Tamil Nadu that had explained and strongly emphasised this principle.
With the government formation process in Tamil Nadu hanging in the balance, TVK on Thursday stepped up efforts to secure outside support, as the party's joint general secretary, CTR Nirmal Kumar, met leaders of the CPI and CPM to seek their backing for a C Joseph Vijay-led government. He also said parties extending support to TVK would be given a role in governance and administration.
Nirmal Kumar called on CPI state secretary M Veerapandian at the party's office before meeting CPM state secretary P Shanmugam at the Marxist party headquarters later in the day. The TVK's tally would rise to 117 if both Left parties extend support.
A day after keeping the whole of Tamil Nadu in a state of bewilderment by exploring an unusual move to align with each other to deny TVK chief C Joseph Vijay to form the next government, the DMK and the AIADMK are remaining silent, leaving observers and even allies confused.
When DT Next reached out to SPA allies, several leaders said the DMK leadership was driven to fury by the Congress’s decision to exit the alliance and offer support to Vijay in return for two cabinet positions. This appears to have prompted the party to go to the extent of offering support to Palaniswami as the next chief minister, alliance leaders said.
Despite facing a situation where the party’s ideology and credibility were under question over the power move, the DMK and its leaders maintained a studied silence, which not only fuelled the rumour further, but also lent credence to it. The question in everyone’s mind is, if it was indeed a malicious rumour as a section of party faithful vociferously maintained, why did the leadership not come out with a public statement denying it?
Meanwhile, latest reports say that the meeting that Stalin has convened with alliance leaders from the VCK, CPM, CPI, and IUML on Thursday was coming in the backdrop of persistent push by the DMK’s second-rung leaders to form an alliance with the AIADMK – thus adding another confirmation, albeit indirectly, that the idea is still being explored despite Stalin himself denying it.
Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Thursday alleged that "BJP-background" Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar is stalling the formation of a secular government in Tamil Nadu and claimed that the Centre is trying to stop Vijay from becoming the chief minister despite his party TVK having the people's mandate.
"You should have asked the single largest party to take oath and prove majority on the floor of the House but that has not been done. It is very unfortunate that the governor of Tamil Nadu is not allowing Vijay to become the CM. The Delhi Sarkaar (Centre) is trying to stop Vijay who has the mandate to become the chief minister of Tamil Nadu," he said.
In a statement, TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai said the agitation was organised against the BJP and its "puppet" Governor Arlekar, who are allegedly indulging in backroom manoeuvring to unconstitutionally deny TVK its rightful chance to form the next government.
Twenty-eight AIADMK MLAs have reportedly been accommodated at a private resort in Poorankuppam in Puducherry amid intense political activity over government formation in Tamil Nadu.
The move has triggered speculation in political circles as reports suggest that the MLAs are supporters of senior AIADMK leader CV Shanmugam.
TVK made a technical error while staking claim to form the government, sources told DT Next. Instead of presenting itself as the single largest party with 108 MLAs, the Vijay-led party submitted 112 names, including Congress MLAs, prompting Governor Arlekar to seek proof of support from 118 MLAs for a coalition government.
Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has conveyed to TVK chief C Joseph Vijay that the requisite majority support in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, necessary for forming the government, had not yet been established, as per a Lok Bhavan comminique following their meeting on Thursday.
CPM State Secretary P Shanmugam on Thursday (May 7) urged Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to immediately invite TVK president C Joseph Vijay to form the government, stating that the party had emerged as the single largest party in the Assembly elections.
In a statement, Shanmugam said the people of Tamil Nadu had not given a mandate to any party or alliance to independently form the government in the recently concluded Assembly elections. However, by electing 108 MLAs from TVK, the electorate had made the party the single largest formation in the Assembly, he said.
VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan on Thursday said the Governor should immediately invite TVK president C Joseph Vijay to form the government, arguing that the Constitution mandates that the single largest party be given the first opportunity to prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly.
Addressing reporters, the VCK president said the TVK had emerged as the “single largest party” in the Assembly elections and therefore Vijay should be sworn in as Chief Minister.
Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) president Kamal Haasan on Thursday said refusing to invite actor C Joseph Vijay-led TVK, which had won 108 seats, to form the government would amount to disrespecting the mandate of the people of Tamil Nadu.
In a statement, he said the people of Tamil Nadu had not given any party a clear mandate to form the government on its own in the Assembly elections, and described the verdict as unprecedented in the State’s political history.
CPI State Secretary M. Veerapandian on Thursday urged Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to act in accordance with the Constitution and provide Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) an opportunity to prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly.
In a statement, Veerapandian said the verdict in the Assembly elections held on April 23 did not provide any single party with a clear mandate to independently form the government. However, the voters had elected TVK as the single largest party by giving it 108 seats.
Deadlock continues in government formation in Tamil Nadu, with Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Thursday insisting that TVK chief C Joseph Vijay provide letters of support from 118 MLA-elects to prove a clear majority in the 234-member House before agreeing to proceed with the proposed swearing-in ceremony.
Earlier today, after Vijay met Arlekar for a second time in two days, sources within the TVK had claimed that the Governor was satisfied with Vijay’s assurances on numbers and invited him to form the government.
More than two decades ago, there I was, a film journalist, very reluctantly attending an event where he was celebrating Pongal with fans. It was held at an open ground, with a number of women preparing pongal.
It was very much like a film set. But the main attraction, a professional actor no less, was not role-playing; he brought a genuine warmth in his interactions with all. He was not angling for much publicity for the event. But he requested me to write on leukaemia and other medical issues affecting the young. “I saw my own sister suffer,” he said.
The decision of the Indian National Congress (INC) to extend support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in the post-poll scenario has revived memories of a similar political development that took place more than seven decades ago in Tamil Nadu.
After Independence, the then Madras State faced its first Assembly election in 1951-52. In that election, the Congress party failed to secure a clear majority on its own. It later formed the government with the support of the Commonweal Party led by Vanniyar leader MA Manickavelu.
The already turbulent politics in Tamil Nadu seems to have entered uncharted waters on Wednesday after multiple sources claimed that the DMK has extended support for arch rival Edappadi K Palaniswami’s AIADMK to lead the next government, and him as chief minister, to thwart any attempt by TVK leader C Joseph Vijay from coming to power.
Vijay’s party, which ended nearly six decades of Dravidian rule to emerge the biggest party with 108 seats on its own (including Vijay from two seats) and also secured the support of Congress’s 5 MLA-elects, is still 6 seats short of simple majority (118). On the other hand, the DMK (59) and AIADMK (47) have 106 seats. Their allies have 14 seats – PMK has 4; CPM, CPI, VCK, IUML have 2 each, and AMMK and BJP have 1 each – from which the Dravidian combine would require 12.
-- Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Thursday insisted that TVK chief C Joseph Vijay submit letters of support from 118 MLAs to prove majority before proceeding with government formation in Tamil Nadu. Vijay had met the Governor for the second time in two days.
-- Though TVK sources earlier claimed Vijay had been invited to form the government, a Lok Bhavan communique later said the required majority had “not yet been established”.
-- Meanwhile, DMK allies VCK, MNM, Congress and CPM have backed TVK’s bid
-- TVK leader CTR Nirmal Kumar called on CPI state secretary M Veerapandian and CPI(M) state secretary P Shanmugam and sought their support in forming government, emphasising share in power.
-- Sources told DT Next that TVK made a technical error while staking claim to form the government. Instead of presenting itself as the single largest party with 108 MLAs, the Vijay-led party submitted 112 names, including Congress MLAs, prompting Governor Arlekar to seek proof of support from 118 MLAs for a coalition government.