Actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar was sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday morning at Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, becoming the first in nearly six decades to have no connection to either of the Dravidian parties that have governed the southern Indian state without interruption since 1967.
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Vijay at 10 a.m. local time. Nine ministers were simultaneously inducted into the cabinet, among them TVK General Secretary N. Anand, TVK leaders Aadhav Arjuna and K.A. Sengottaiyan, and Selvi S. Keerthana – the sole woman in the inaugural council. Vijay reserved the portfolios of public administration, police and home for himself.
The ceremony brought to a close a week of acute political uncertainty that at several points threatened to keep Vijay out of power entirely. His Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam had won 108 seats in the April 23 election – an extraordinary debut, but 10 short of the majority mark of 118. When Vijay called on the Governor on Wednesday to stake his claim, he could demonstrate the backing of only 113 legislators (MLAs) – his own 108 seats plus the five won by Congress, which had broken sharply from its previous DMK alliance to support TVK, a move that drew fierce criticism from senior DMK leaders.
