Vijay takes over as Tamil Nadu CM with pledge to begin new era of justice

Cheered and heralded by sea of delirious supporters, C Joseph Vijay took oath as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday with a pledge that ''a new era of real, secular, social justice starts now.'' The ascent of Vijay to the top job marks a significant realignment and a historic political shift in the state after his TVK emerged as the single largest party in the recent Assembly elections, shattering the decades-long dominance of the DMK and AIADMK in the state. 'Bussy' N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna and K A Sengottaiyan were also administered the oath of office of minister by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by senior leaders, including Congress' Rahul Gandhi and family and friends of Vijay. Others who took the oath as ministers in Vijay's cabinet included K G Arunraaj, P Venkataramanan, C T R Nirmal Kumar, A Rajmohan, Keerthana and K T Prabhu. ''It is a fresh, new beginning. A new era of real, secular, social justice starts...,'' Vijay paused, looked down, pointed at his wrist watch and added with a dramatic flourish: ''Now!'' This statement was greeted with thunderous applause, cheers and whistles. Ahead of his speech, he also signed three orders --200 units of free electricity, a task force for women's safety and a task force to tackle the drug menace. Asserting that he was not from any royal lineage, Vijay, in an emotive speech in chaste Tamil, said people ''welcomed and accepted'' him, and he will never deceive them with false promises. Accusing the previous DMK regime of 'burdening' the state with Rs 10 lakh crore debt, Vijay asked people to give him time to perform and meet their expectations. He also made it clear that there was only one power centre and that was him. He also thanked leaders from parties that supported him, including ''brother'' Rahul Gandhi and Left leaders, before he concluded his speech with a round of selfies he took with those who shared the dais with him and the crowd. His Cabinet is a mix of young and experienced, with the 51-year-old actor-turned-politician's core team finding a place in his maiden ministry. The oath-taking ceremony, reflecting the atmosphere across the city of hard-won victory and high expectations, symbolised the arrival of a new political era, centred around Vijay's mass appeal, youth outreach and anti-establishment approach. Although TVK on its own did not secure the majority in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, Vijay managed to get support from the Congress, VCK, CPI, CPI (M) and IUML to gather 120 MLAs and cross the 118 majority mark to form the government, an act that is seen as a demonstration of his political adaptability beyond his image of a popular actor. It would be tempting to frame the sound defeat of DMK and its arch-rival AIADMK as the end of Dravidian politics in Tamil Nadu, but that is not so. TVK also draws inspiration from old Dravidian leaders and has sold itself as a protector of Tamil pride. The opening of the swearing-in ceremony included a Tamil nationalist song after Vande Mataram and the National Anthem. Vijay's emergence in one of the most influential states in the South is expected to reshape opposition politics at the national level and alter alliance calculations ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress, which severed its ties with the DMK to extend support to TVK, has announced that its ties with Vijay's party were for all future elections. This is the first time Congress has been part of any government in Tamil Nadu in six decades. Politically, given its dependence on ideologically diverse allies-- from Congress to Left parties-- Vijay's coalition government has immediate structural challenges, raising questions about long-term stability. Speaking to PTI Videos after the swearing-in, Minister Aadhav Arjuna described the election result as a ''victory for the people'', specifically crediting the youth and women of Tamil Nadu. Arjuna emphasised that the new administration would be anchored in transparency, secularism, and social justice. ''Our leader and all ministers will provide a transparent government. We will work for all minority brothers and sisters and prioritise development,'' he stated. But for today, it was all about celebrations to hail Vijay's unprecedented victory, culminating in his becoming the chief minister. Actress Sanam Shetty, speaking to reporters, described the moment as a breakthrough for Tamil Nadu politics. ''Even after winning the majority, even after creating a historic moment... the gruelling past week of political dynamic shifts hasn't allowed us to sleep peacefully. Today, we are going to sleep peacefully, dreaming of a better Tamil Nadu in the safe hands of our beloved Thalapathy Joseph Vijay sir,'' she said.

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