Chennai, 10 May (H.S.):Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C. Joseph Vijay will take oath as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday along with a nine-member council of ministers, marking a dramatic political shift in the state after the party secured the support of 120 MLAs in the 234-member Assembly.

The swearing-in ceremony will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai amid tight security and in the presence of several national and regional leaders. Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi arrived in Chennai on Sunday morning to attend the event.

According to an official release from Lok Bhavan, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has approved the list of ministers recommended by Vijay for induction into the cabinet. The ministers taking oath along with Vijay are N. Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, Dr. K.G. Arunraj, K.A. Sengottaiyan, P. Venkataramanan, R. Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan, Dr. T.K. Prabhu and S. Keerthana.

Vijay’s rise to power comes after days of intense political negotiations following a fractured mandate in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. TVK emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats but fell short of the majority mark on its own.

The deadlock was resolved after the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) extended support to the Vijay-led alliance, helping it cross the “magic number” of 118 required to form the government. With the backing of allies, the formation’s strength rose to 120 MLAs.

Following the support from alliance partners, Vijay met Governor Arlekar and formally staked claim to form the government by submitting letters of support. The Governor subsequently invited him to form the ministry and directed the new government to prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly on or before May 13.

The formation of the Vijay-led government is widely being viewed as a major political turning point in Tamil Nadu, where Dravidian parties have dominated politics for nearly six decades.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman