TVK forms Tamil Nadu government; Vijay sworn in as CM with 9 ministers

C Joseph Vijay was formally sworn in as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu by Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Sunday, marking a historic political shift in the State after Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) stitched together a post-poll alliance to form the government.

Based on the recommendations of party chief Vijay, nine persons from TVK were appointed to the council of ministers by Arlekar.

Clad in a blazer, Vijay took his oath amid thunderous applause from the audience, which included his parents, S A Chandrasekar and Shobha, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.

In the presence of a host of political leaders, including the Congress leader of opposition, former BJP Tamil Nadu chief Tamilisai Soundararajan, and IAS and IPS officers, Arlekar administered the oath of office to Vijay and nine others.

The nine candidates who were inducted as ministers are party general secretary N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, KG Arunraj, K A Sengottaiyan, P Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan, TK Prabhu and S Keerthana, the release said.

This is the first time that, in a swearing-in ceremony, the song Vande Mataram was sung twice at a government function.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party in the 23 April  Assembly polls by securing 108 Assembly segments, short of the mandated 117 seats required for a majority. It has ended the long-standing era in Tamil Nadu.

The two-year-old party approached several parties and got the support of the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), Indian Union Muslim League and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), taking the overall tally to 120 and enabling it to form the government.

On 9 May, VCK and the Indian Union Muslim League, ending days of suspense, extended their 'unconditional' support. While Congress is expected to be part of Vijay's Cabinet, the Left parties, VCK and IUML, declared that they would provide 'outside' support to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

On 9 May, Arlekar, who invited the TVK chief to form the government, directed him to prove his majority in the Tamil Nadu Assembly by seeking a confidence vote on or before 13 May.

Soon after Vijay's TVK got the majority required to form the government, a host of political leaders, including outgoing chief minister M K Stalin, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, Tamil Nadu Congress committee president K Selvaperunthagai and former Union minister P Chidambaram, extended their greetings to the new government today.