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Vijay was sworn in as Tamil Nadu chief minister on Sunday along with nine ministers, the first government outside the DMK-AIADMK alliance in the state since 1967.
Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C Joseph Vijay sworn in as Tamil Nadu chief minister (PTI)
Actor-turned-politician and Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, marking a historic political shift in the state.
Along with Vijay, nine senior TVK leaders took oath as ministers in the new cabinet during the ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.
The swearing-in ceremony was scheduled at 10 am, tight security arrangements were made before the event.
Before going to the venue, Vijay left his Neelankarai residence at around 9 am.
TVK secured enough support to cross the majority mark in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, paving the way for Vijay to form the government.
While the party itself emerged with 108 seats, the alliance’s tally increased to 120 with the support of Congress, CPI, CPI(M), Viduthalai Chiruthigal Katchi (VCK), and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Complete list of ministers who took oath
These leaders took oath as ministers along with Vijay.
- KA Sengottaiyan
- wonderful arjun
- N Anand
- Arunraj
- Raj Mohan
- P Venkataramanan
- tk prabhu
- kirtan
- CTR Nirmal Kumar
Despite the party supporting the TVK-led government, the Congress leader was not in the swearing-in list.
Who are the nine ministers who took oath with Vijay?
1. KA Sengottaiyan –
Former Tamil Nadu minister and TVK candidate KA Sengottaiyan has won the Gobichettipalayam constituency in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections 2026 and successfully defended his stronghold. The victory holds deep significance as it marks actor Vijay’s first successful campaign under his newly formed party TVK after being expelled from the AIADMK.
After the announcement of the results on Monday, Sengottaiyan, who also serves as the chief coordinator of the TVK executive committee, led a massive celebratory road show on the streets of Erode, welcomed by thousands of enthusiastic supporters and party cadre.
Despite shifting his lifelong political allegiance from AIADMK to TVK at the end of 2025, the veteran leader retained his hold on the seat he has now represented nine times.
According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), Sengottaiyan secured 82,612 votes, defeating his nearest rival DMK’s N Nallasivam by a margin of 16,620 votes.
2. Amazing Arjun –
Aadhav Arjun is a political strategist, philanthropist and sports administrator from Tamil Nadu. He is an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing Villivakkam Assembly constituency in Chennai, having won the seat in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election.
Aadhav Arjun serves as the general secretary of election campaign management of Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), making him the highest-ranking party official after Vijay and general secretary N Anand. He is also the President of Basketball Federation of India.
Aadhav Arjun joined TVK on 31 January 2025. He was appointed General Secretary for Election Campaign Management, the highest post in the party after the President. In this role, he oversaw TVK’s campaign strategy, booth-agent training programs and coordinated with JPAC Persona Political Advisor John Arokiasamy for the 2026 elections.
3. N Anand –
N Anand is known as Bussi Anand, and is the general secretary of Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK). He is an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing Thyagarayanagar Assembly constituency in Chennai, having won the seat in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election. He previously served as a member of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly from Busi constituency in the union territory of Puducherry.
On 2 February 2024, when actor Vijay launched Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), Anand was appointed as the inaugural general secretary of the party, a post he still holds. In this capacity, he has been a key spokesperson of the party and ahead of the 2026 elections, he publicly announced that the TVK leader would take over as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
4. Arunraj-
KG Arunraj is an Indian politician, former civil servant and physician from Tamil Nadu. He is an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing Tiruchengode constituency of Namakkal district, having won the seat in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election.
Before contesting the elections, he served as the General Secretary (Policy and Publicity) of Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK). Before entering politics, he was an officer in the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), holding the rank of Joint Commissioner and Additional Commissioner of Income Tax.
5. Raj Mohan
TVK’s Rajmohan won the Egmore seat by a narrow margin. According to the Election Commission, Rajmohan secured 53,901 votes defeating DMK’s Tamilan Prasanna, who got 43,097 votes. AIADMK’s Abhishek R stood third with 18,191 votes. I Paranthamen (DMK) won the 2021 assembly elections by 68,832 votes. In 2016, Ravichandran KS (DMK) won by 55,060 votes.
6. P Venkataramanan
P Venkataramanan (born 1978) is the Treasurer of Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam and a practicing lawyer at the Law Association of Saidapet, Tamil Nadu. He is a member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Mylapore assembly constituency in Chennai district, representing Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam. He has also been Vijay’s manager since 2000.
He became an MLA for the first time by winning the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election from Mylapore assembly constituency representing Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam. He defeated incumbent Dha. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s Velu by a margin of 28,972 votes.
7. TK Prabhu
TK Prabhu is a politician and dentist from Tamil Nadu. He is an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing Karaikudi Assembly constituency in Sivagangai district, who won the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election.
8. Kirtan
S Keerthan (born 1996) is a politician from Tamil Nadu. She is a member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district, representing Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam.
Keerthana became a first time MLA by winning her 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election from Sivakasi assembly constituency representing TVK party. He defeated his nearest rival Ashokan Ji of Congress by a margin of 11,670 votes.
9. CTR Nirmal Kumar –
Nirmal Kumar, born on 27 July 1981, is a politician from Tamil Nadu. He is an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing Thirupparankundram Assembly constituency of Madurai district, who won the 2026 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election.
Vijay will lead the first non-DMK, non-AIADMK government since 1967
With Vijay assuming charge, Tamil Nadu is set to see its first government outside the DMK and AIADMK in almost six decades.
The development is being seen as a major political realignment in the Dravidian political landscape of the state.
Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Saturday formally appointed C Joseph Vijay as the Chief Minister and directed him to prove majority in the Assembly before May 13.
Before being invited to form the government, Vijay collected letters of support from Congress, CPI, CPI(M), VCK and IUML.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also attended the swearing-in ceremony.
TVK’s first electoral success
The rise of TVK has been one of the biggest political developments in Tamil Nadu politics in recent years.
The party, launched in 2024, secured a strong mandate in its first assembly elections.
Vijay himself has won from two constituencies, Perambur and Trichy East, and is expected to resign from one seat in the latter.
Vijay’s campaign style, mass appeal and ability to draw crowds led to comparisons with former Chief Minister and actor MG Ramachandran.
Political observers also saw his emergence as a return to a major actor-led political movement in Tamil Nadu after Vijayakanth.
Vijay’s political status
Since formally entering politics, Vijay has adopted the core elements of Dravidian politics as well as presenting himself as an alternative to traditional Dravidian parties.
In his first major political speech in October 2024, Vijay described Periyar as his ideological leader and made it clear that his party would not embrace atheism.
He also referenced CN Annadurai, K Kamaraj and BR Ambedkar as inspirations for TVK’s social justice approach.
The TVK chief has also openly adopted secular politics and talked about inclusive governance.
Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Congress MP Manickam Tagore congratulated Vijay and said that Tamil Nadu was looking forward to “change and new hope” with hopes of “social justice, equality, development and humane governance”.
Reaction from family, supporters
Ahead of the swearing-in, Vijay’s father and filmmaker SA Chandrasekhar expressed happiness over the political milestone.
He urged his son to “do everything for the Tamil people”, saying, “After all, the Tamil people have succeeded through conquest.”
Family friends and supporters also expressed optimism about Vijay’s leadership, saying that people have high expectations from the incoming administration and hope that he will be surrounded by experienced advisors.
With the swearing-in of the Vijay-led Cabinet expected to formally begin a new political chapter in Tamil Nadu, the actor-politician is now preparing for a change in governance on the back of electoral success.
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