Chennai, 11 May (H.S.): The first session of the newly constituted 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly began on Monday with the oath-taking ceremony of newly elected legislators, marking the formal start of proceedings after the recently concluded Assembly elections that brought the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to power.

Chief Minister and TVK founder C. Joseph Vijay took oath as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Perambur constituency, a day after being sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The oath was administered by Pro-tem Speaker Karuppiah at the Assembly Hall in Chennai amid enthusiastic scenes from ruling alliance members and first-time legislators.

Unlike his swearing-in ceremony as Chief Minister on Sunday, where Vijay invoked “Andavan Meedhu Aanaiyaga”, the TVK leader adopted the constitutional affirmation while taking oath as MLA, stating, “Ulamara Urudhi Koorugiren” (I solemnly affirm with sincerity).

Vijay had contested the Assembly elections from both Perambur and Trichy East constituencies and secured victories in both seats. After assuming office as Chief Minister, he chose to retain the Perambur seat and resigned from Trichy East, necessitating a by-election in the constituency.

Soon after Vijay’s oath-taking, senior TVK leader N. Anand was sworn in as the MLA from T Nagar, followed by Aadhav Arjuna from Villivakkam constituency. Several newly elected legislators also took oath during the inaugural sitting of the House.

The Assembly session witnessed heightened political attention following TVK’s remarkable electoral debut. The party emerged as the single largest formation in the 234-member Assembly and later formed the government with the support of alliance partners.

Addressing members of the House, Pro-tem Speaker Karuppiah urged legislators to work with commitment and sincerity for the welfare of the people. He said elected representatives must remember that the public had entrusted them with responsibility during difficult times and expected responsive governance.

Karuppiah also appealed to the new government and legislators to uphold the ideals of leaders such as Periyar, Kamarajar, Velu Nachiyar and Anjalai Ammal while safeguarding the principles of social justice and rationalism in public administration.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman