
TVK founder C Joseph Vijay took oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister today, 10 May. Tamil Nadu's acting Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to Vijay at a gala event in the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.
Vijay is expected to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly through a vote of confidence on or before May 13.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam is the first non-Dravidian party to form the government in the state, breaking the traditional domination of AIADMK and the DMK.
Quick answers to key questions
The new Tamil Nadu Cabinet includes nine TVK MLAs sworn in as ministers. Notable members include S Keerthana, the youngest minister and a woman representative; 'Bussy' N Anand, the party's General Secretary; and Aadhav Arjuna, a political strategist and TVK's General Secretary for Election Campaign Management.
The TVK is the first non-Dravidian party to form the government in Tamil Nadu, breaking the traditional domination of AIADMK and DMK. C Joseph Vijay is the first leader outside these two parties to head the state government since 1967.
The TVK won 108 seats in its debut assembly polls, falling short of the 118 majority mark. Key support was secured from VCK and IUML, bringing the total to 120 MLAs, enabling C Joseph Vijay to form the government.
C Joseph Vijay is expected to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly through a vote of confidence on or before May 13.
Tamil Nadu's acting Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to C Joseph Vijay and the nine TVK MLAs who were sworn in as ministers.
Arlekar also administered the oath to nine TVK MLAs as ministers, on the recommendation of Vijay, the Lok Bhavan said in a release.
The new Tamil Nadu Cabinet includes S Keerthana, a woman minister who is also the youngest in the cabinet, a doctor and an ex-IRS officer.
All ministers in the first list are from the TVK, with no Congress leader included, despite the party's claims of “definitely” being a part of the Cabinet in the Vijay-led government.
The TVK, which created a record by winning 108 seats in its debut assembly polls, scrambled for numbers to cross 118 seats – the majority mark – until 9 May, when VCK, which has two seats, finally extended support.
VCK, a long-time ally of the Left parties that had extended its support to Vijay on Friday, had earlier announced its decision would be in sync with their stand.
Shortly after VCK's decision to back Vijay, another DMK ally, the IUML, also extended support to TVK. IUML has two MLAs.
The drama also witnessed the return of "resort politics" as the five Congress MLAs camped in Hyderabad and TVK legislators in a hotel in Mamallapuram.
Vijay won from two seats in the assembly polls and will resign from one seat.
(With agency inputs)
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