Chennai, 11 May (H.S.): Tamil Nadu’s newly elected legislators will assemble in Chennai on Monday for the inaugural sitting of the 17th Legislative Assembly, ushering in a new political chapter in the state after the recent Assembly elections that brought Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to power.

The first session of the newly constituted House will begin at 9.30 a.m., during which all elected members will take oath as MLAs before the pro-tem Speaker. The Assembly Secretariat has instructed legislators to attend the proceedings with their election certificates as part of the official formalities.

The session comes amid intense political activity in the state following the recently concluded Assembly elections, which witnessed a major political transition in Tamil Nadu. TVK leader and actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay assumed office as Chief Minister after his party emerged as the single largest force in the elections and subsequently secured the support required to form the government.

Vijay had contested the elections from two constituencies — Perambur in Chennai and Trichy East — and registered victories in both seats. However, after taking charge as Chief Minister, he chose to retain the Perambur seat and resigned from the Trichy East constituency, leading to a vacancy in the 234-member Assembly and paving the way for a by-election.

Meanwhile, the election for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is scheduled to be held on Tuesday morning at 9.30 a.m. The Speaker’s election is expected to attract significant political attention as it will be the first major floor exercise in the newly constituted House.

Political observers believe the contest could offer early indications regarding the stability of the ruling alliance and the strategy likely to be adopted by the Opposition in the coming Assembly sessions.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman