Chennai, 10 May (H.S.): After days of intense political uncertainty and negotiations, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Nine ministers are also expected to take oath alongside him at a grand ceremony to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.

The swearing-in marks a historic political shift in Tamil Nadu, as a non-Dravidian party-led government assumes power in the state for the first time in nearly six decades. Since 1967, Tamil Nadu has alternated between governments led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). Vijay’s rise to power has effectively broken that long-standing political pattern.

The new government will also mark the return of the Congress party to the Tamil Nadu cabinet after 59 years. Congress Legislature Party leader S. Rajesh Kumar and senior leader P. Viswanathan are expected to be inducted into the ministry as part of the post-poll alliance that enabled TVK to secure a majority in the 234-member Assembly.

Several national and regional leaders are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who arrived in Chennai on Sunday morning. Leaders of the parties that extended support to the Vijay-led alliance are also likely to be present at the event.

Vijay formally staked claim to form the government after meeting Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar for the fourth time and submitting letters of support from alliance partners. The Governor subsequently invited him to form the ministry and directed him to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly by Wednesday.

Sources said Vijay is likely to retain key portfolios including Home, Police, and Public Administration. Prominent TVK leaders such as Aadhav Arjuna, N. Anand, C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar, K.A. Sengottaiyan, and K. Arunraj are expected to find place in the new cabinet.

The formation of the Vijay-led government is being seen as one of the biggest political developments in Tamil Nadu in recent decades, with the actor making a dramatic transition from cinema to the state’s highest political office in a remarkably short span of time.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman