Vijay Sworn In as Tamil Nadu CM, Marks End of Dravidian Two-Party Rule

Tamil Nadu entered a new political era on Sunday as C Joseph Vijay was sworn in as Chief Minister , ending over six decades of unbroken DMK-AIADMK dominance . Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath to Vijay and nine cabinet ministers before thousands of supporters at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.

The ceremony turned theatrical when Vijay abandoned the prescribed oath mid-way, delivering a self-composed pledge to uphold the law, serve all sections of society, and rid the state of hatred, while dramatically clenching his fist before the Governor stepped in and directed him back to the official text. In his address that followed, Vijay was unambiguous about his governance style, declaring he would tolerate “no parallel centres of power” , a pointed reference to the behind-the-scenes authority critics had associated with previous administrations. “A new era of real secularism and social justice starts now,” he said.

Before the day ended, Vijay signed files implementing three key poll promises: 200 free electricity units every two months for household consumers, a dedicated women’s safety force , and measures to tackle drug abuse before formally assuming charge at Fort St. George. His cabinet combined TVK loyalists including Aadhav Arjuna , KG Arunraj , N Anand , and R Nirmal Kumar with Dravidian veteran K A Sengottaiyan and younger faces such as Dr TK Prabhu and S Keerthana .

Rahul Gandhi attended the ceremony, underlining the significance of the coalition involving Congress, VCK, CPI, CPI(M), and IUML that helped TVK secure the 120 MLAs needed to form the government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Vijay over the phone and assured Centre-state cooperation, while Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also conveyed his wishes, citing the historical ties between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.

Vijay later visited Periyar Thidal to pay tribute at the memorial of social reformer E V Ramasamy and met K Veeramani , symbolically aligning himself with the state’s self-respect movement traditions .

The day, however, was not without controversy. The traditional ‘Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu’ invocation was rendered third at the ceremony after ‘Vande Mataram’ and the national anthem breaking convention. Coalition partners CPI and VCK, along with PMK founder S Ramadoss , criticised the decision and urged that it not be repeated. Vijay also vacated his Tiruchirappalli East Assembly seat while retaining Perambur . The newly elected Assembly will meet on Monday for member oath-taking, with the Speaker election scheduled for Tuesday.