Vijay 'Sarkar' in Dravidian heartland; Actor turned politician sworn in as ninth chief minister of Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Ending the uncertainty over government formation, Superstar actor turned politician C Joseph Vijay took oath as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The oath-taking ceremony took place at 10 am today at the Nehru Stadium. Nine ministers were also sworn in, along with Vijay. Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi and actress Trisha were among the popular faces present during the function.

Unlike his predecessor, who used to attend oath-taking ceremonies wearing a dhoti with red and black stripes, Vijay attended the event suited up, signalling a change in sartorial style. This also means the end of the Dravidian culture in Tamil Nadu and the rise of the new generation of politics.

Vijay had met the Governor four times in the last five days to overcome the 118-member majority in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. Finally, the Governor gave his approval for the oath-taking after TVK received the support of five Congress MLAs, two MLAs of the Vidhuthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and two MLAs each of the CPI, CPM, and Muslim League.

Senior leader KA Sengottaiyan, who worked closely with former chief ministers MGR and Jayalalithaa for decades, is one of the prominent figures in the TVK cabinet. Sengottaiyan was expelled from the AIADMK after he publicly questioned the leadership of Edappadi K Palaniswami and criticised the party's failure to reinstate expelled leaders.

Another minister is Aadhav Arjuna, one of Vijay's loyalists and a key member of the party. Arjuna, who won from the Villivakkam constituency in Chennai, played a key role in the organisational planning of TVK. He is also the son-in-law of lottery tycoon Santiago Martin. Nirmal Kumar, who won from Thiruparamkundram in Madurai, is also in Vijay's cabinet. Nirmal was a former BJP worker.

TVK General Secretary Anand, who won from Chennai's T Nagar constituency, film activist Raj Mohan, dentist-turned-politician Dr T K Prabhu, Dr Arun Raj, who won from Tiruchengode, P Venkitaramanan, who won from Chennai's Mylapore, and the youngest face in the cabinet, Keerthana, who won from Virudhunagar district, were also sworn in along with Vijay today.