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After he took oath as Tamil Nadu chief minister, in the presence of his party's alliance leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Vijay assured a “transparent government” which will work towards improving social justice.
In this image posted on May 10, 2026, newly-elected Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C Joseph Vijay takes a selfie with Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi during the former's swearing-in ceremony at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.((@RahulGandhi/X via PTI Photo))After a week-long political drama and a quest to cross the majority mark, C Joseph Vijay took oath as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, 10 May.
Having fallen short of the majority mark by ten seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) was seen firming up support from smaller parties since the election results were announced on 4 May.
After receiving support from the Congress, VCK, and Left parties, TVK crossed the majority mark of 118, sought by Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to form the government in the southern state.
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Chief Minister Vijay signed five orders including 200 units of free electricity for domestic consumers, setting up a Special Task Force called 'Singapen' for women's safety, establishing anti-drug trafficking units, releasing a white paper on the previous DMK government's finances, and ensuring an open and transparent government.
TVK secured support from smaller parties like Congress, VCK, and Left parties after emerging as the single-largest party but falling short of the majority mark. This support helped them cross the required 118 seats in the 234-member assembly.
Vijay's cabinet consists of nine TVK MLAs: N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, KA Sengottaiyan, KG Arunraj, P Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan, TK Prabhu, and S Keerthana, who is the youngest and the only woman minister.
Vijay is the first leader outside the DMK and AIADMK formations to head the Tamil Nadu government since 1967. His party, TVK, formed two years ago, positions itself as an alternative to the traditional Dravidian parties.
Vijay stated that the previous DMK government left the state with debts exceeding ₹10 lakh crore and emptied the treasury. He vowed not to use 'people's money' and to focus on improving essential services.
After he took oath, in the presence of his party's alliance leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Vijay assured a “transparent government” which will work towards improving social justice.
"It is a people's victory. Tamil Nadu women and youth's victory. Our leader and all ministers will give a transparent government that will work for all minority brothers and sisters. We will work for the development, particularly social justice and secularism. Definitely, we will change the state. We'll start a new history," the 51-year-old said, as per news agency PTI.
First Order of Business
Soon after he was sworn in as the chief minister, Vijay signed fresh orders in line with the promises he had made during his election campaigning. Here are the top five announcements that Vijay made:
- 200 units of free electricity for domestic consumers;
- Setting up a Special Task Force called 'Singapen' for women's safety;
- Anti-drug trafficking units across the state;
- To release a ‘white paper’ related to the finances of the previous MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government.
- To have an open and transparent government
"Today, the condition in which our Tamil Nadu government has been left is something I have seen for myself. The last government has gone out after borrowing debts of more than ₹10 lakh crore; the treasury has been completely emptied before they left office," said Vijay pointing out the state's debt of ₹10 lakh crore and accused the DMK government of emptying the treasury of the state.
He further vowed not to use "people's money", emphasising that his primary focus would be to improve education, roads, drinking water facilities, and other essential services.
Vijay's Cabinet
Meanwhile today along with Vijay, Governor Arlekar administered the oath of office to nine ministers — all of them TVK MLAs.
These include N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, KA Sengottaiyan, KG Arunraj, P Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan, TK Prabhu and S Keerthana — the lone woman minister in Vijay's cabinet so far, who is also the youngest.
Although TVK had emerged as the single-largest party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election results — winning 108 seats — it fell short of the majority. After hectic parleys to shore up the numbers, TVK received support from the Congress, which won 5 seats, along with the Communist Party of India (2), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (2), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (2), and the Indian Union Muslim League (2). However, none from these parties have been appointed to the Cabinet as of now.
Vijay, popularly referred to as the 'Thalapathy', became the the first leader outside the DMK and AIADMK formations to head the Tamil Nadu government since 1967.
In the 2026 elections, he won two seats, Perambur and Trichy East, and is likely to resign from the latter.
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