Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, also the President of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), visited former CM and DMK President M.K. Stalin at his Alwarpet residence. This meeting holds political significance post the recent post-election realignment in the state. Vijay, who led TVK to a historic electoral debut, met Stalin after attending the oath-taking ceremony of newly elected MLAs. The meeting has garnered attention as DMK allies played a crucial role in enabling the TVK government to take office.
In the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, TVK emerged as the largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly. Despite this, they fell short of the 118 seats needed to form a government independently. Vijay engaged in discussions with parties previously part of the DMK-led alliance to secure external support for government formation. Following negotiations, Congress agreed to support TVK, distancing itself from the DMK-led alliance. Left parties like CPI, CPI-M, VCK, and IUML also pledged unconditional outside support to Vijay’s formation, helping TVK surpass the majority mark in the Assembly.
With the backing of these parties, Vijay was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 10 in a grand ceremony in Chennai. He immediately took action on major welfare initiatives, including free electricity for households, women’s safety measures, and anti-drug enforcement across districts. Vijay held meetings with senior officials to discuss law and order and administrative priorities of the new government. He paid respects at the memorial of social reformer Periyar, whom he considers an ideological inspiration, and met Dravidar Kazhagam President K. Veeramani.
In the Assembly, political activities intensified with the start of the first session of the newly constituted House. TVK MLA J.C.D. Prabhakar nominated himself for the Speaker’s post, marking further developments in the state’s political landscape.
