Vijay Set to Become Tamil Nadu Chief Minister After Securing Alliance Support

Actor-turned-politician Vijay will be sworn in as Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister at 10 a.m. on Sunday at Chennai's Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, after securing support from allied parties to cross the 118-seat majority mark in the 234-member Assembly. The Governor, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, appointed Vijay as Chief Minister and directed him to prove majority on or before May 13.

Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the single largest party with 108 seats but fell 10 short of a majority, later reduced to 107 after he relinquished one of two seats won. The breakthrough came when Congress (5 MLAs), CPI and CPI(M) (2 each), VCK (4), and IUML extended support, bringing the alliance's strength to 120. Vijay met the Governor twice in two days, submitting letters of support and formally staking claim to form the government.

DMK spokesperson A. Sarvanan confirmed that party chief MK Stalin facilitated the alliance support after extensive consultations to prevent a constitutional crisis. He credited DMK cadres for Congress's five wins and criticized Congress for switching allegiance from the DMK-led INDIA bloc to back TVK. Several parties, including VCK, will offer 'outside support' and not join the Cabinet, though Vijay has expressed willingness to accommodate allies in power-sharing arrangements.

This marks the first non-DMK, non-AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu in over six decades. The Governor has scheduled a floor test for May 13, by which time Vijay must prove his majority in the Assembly. The swearing-in ceremony will be held at Chennai's Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.