Tamil Nadu govt formation highlights: TVK's Vijay set for historic oath ceremony today, Rahul Gandhi to attend

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Tamil Nadu governor Rajendra Arlekar on Saturday invited C Joseph Vijay to form the state government after he handed over letters of support from a clutch of parties that helped his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) swing past the majority mark in the assembly, bringing down the curtain on a protracted government formation saga and ushering in a new political era for the province.

The actor-turned-politician will take oath at 10am on Sunday and become the first chief minister to not hail from either of the two Dravidian majors since Tamil Nadu was formed in 1967. Read full story here.

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay is scheduled to take oath as Tamil Nadu chief minister today after extended negotiations with smaller parties that were keen to keep the BJP and AIADMK out of the state's power equations.

Tamil Nadu governor Rajendra Arlekar on Saturday appointed Vijay as the new chief minister and asked him to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly before May 13.

The swearing-in ceremony will take place at Nehru Stadium in Chennai on May 10 at 10 am.

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday said there are no cracks in the opposition INDI bloc over the Congress backing Vijay-led TVK for government formation in Tamil Nadu despite fighting the polls there in alliance with the DMK.

The DMK on Friday sought a change in seating arrangement for its MPs in the Lok Sabha, saying their alliance with the Congress has ended and it would not be appropriate for its members to sit alongside those of the Congress.

Both parties are prominent constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

Talking to reporters, Raut said there were no cracks in the opposition alliance and exuded confidence that "we will be together for Lok Sabha polls".

(With PTI inputs)

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay is slated to take oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister today, crowning his party's debut performance in assembly polls with a government that took shape after prolonged negotiations with smaller parties who were keen to keep the BJP and AIADMK out of power equations in the southern state.

After he takes the oath, Vijay will become the first leader outside the DMK and AIADMK formations to head the Tamil Nadu government since 1967.

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader C Joseph Vijay has been officially appointed as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, now set to take oath on May 10.

In a warm response to the party's success, Vijay's father, director SA Chandrasekhar, expressed immense delight.

"I am happy. I am so happy. Whatever I am doing, I am doing it only for my son...Finally, Tamil people have succeeded through Vijay," he told the media, further sending a message to his son, "Do everything for Tamilians."

(With ANI inputs)

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin on Saturday criticised its long-term ally Congress for “severing its relationship” with his party in a “single day”, and thanked the Left parties and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) for remaining part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), despite their decision to support the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in forming the next state government.

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai on Saturday extended congratulations to actor-turned-politician Vijay, who is being projected to form the government in Tamil Nadu, stating that the outcome reflects the strength of alliance dynamics and the organisational work of DMK cadres on the ground.

Speaking to ANI, Annadurai said, "Congratulations to the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Vijay. He is able to become the Chief Minister with the help of the allies of the DMK, and our leader MK Stalin has also earlier pointed out that he does not want a constitutional crisis."

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Saturday extended warm greetings to the Tamil Nadu CM-designate and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam leader Vijay, saying that the state expects a change and new hope.

In a post on X, Tagore said that the people of Tamil Nadu are looking forward to social justice, development, equality, and humane governance.

"Our heartfelt congratulations to Vijay, who is about to assume the office of Chief Minister. Tamil Nadu is at a moment when it looks forward to change and new hope. The people expect an inclusive Tamil Nadu founded on social justice, equality, development, and humane governance. We believe that under your leadership, a people-centred, transparent, and well-governed administration will be established. Our heartfelt best wishes for your new journey for the people of Tamil Nadu to be successful," he said.

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will attend the swearing-in ceremony of Tamil Nadu CM-designate Vijay in Chennai on Sunday.

On Saturday, Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar appointed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Chief C Joseph Vijay as the new Chief Minister of the state and asked him to prove his majority in the state assembly on or before May 13.

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder C Joseph Vijay is set to take oath as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu on May 10 after securing majority support.

The appointment, though, comes with a condition: the new chief minister must prove his majority on the floor of the assembly through a vote of confidence on or before May 13.

Even though Vijay has been invited to form the government, his position is not fully secured until he wins the trust vote in the assembly.

This is a constitutional requirement in parliamentary systems to ensure that the chief minister continues to enjoy majority support after taking office.

A vote of confidence is a formal motion moved in the assembly where all MLAs vote to confirm whether they support the newly formed government. If Vijay’s government fails to secure majority support, it would be required to resign immediately.

Full story here.

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Arlekar no longer has to navigate the post-poll puzzle surrounding C Joseph Vijay’s majority claims. After three days of frantic negotiations, shifting alliance positions, suspense over crucial allies and a dramatic horse-trading controversy, Vijay has finally crossed the majority mark required to form the next government in the state. The breakthrough came after the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) formally backed the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), taking the actor-politician's tally past the majority mark of 118 in the 234-member Assembly. Read here

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: Five days after Tamil Nadu delivered its verdict, Vijay has his majority, the Governor's nod, and a time and place for his oath. Between the hung verdict of May 4 and the scheduled oath-taking of a TVK-led government on May 10, sits one of the most filmy negotiations in the state's political history — measured not just in votes or seats but in deleted tweets, “forged” letters, last-minute reversals, and an action-packed Saturday evening.

Governor RV Arlekar cancelled his weekend flight out of Chennai, deciding not to go to Kerala for now, and finally met the actor-turned-politician who has been making rounds of the Lok Bhavan all week.

The numbers tell the story most cleanly. Read here

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will attend TVK chief Vijay's oath ceremony in Chennai at 10am tomorrow, May 10, 2026. Some otehr opposition leaders will also attend the ceremony at Chennai's Nehru Stadium, PTI reported, citing sources.

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: Saturday was the day when suspense over government formation finally ended. Here is a quick recap of what transpired throughout the day:

-Vijay's TVK was still short of majority on Saturday even after Congress, CPI and CPI(M) extended support.

-IUML and VCK finally extended support to TVK with 2 MLAs each in the afternoon, taking TVK tally to 120.

-TVK chief Vijay now had to go to governor to stake claim in govt formation.

-But another twist happened. Governor RV Arlekar was scheduled to fly to Kerala at 7:10pm, Lok Bhavan sources told HT.

-TVK chief was on his way to Lok Bhavan as reports of governor's travel plans came in.

-However, minutes later, it was reported that Arlekar cancelled his Kerala trip and finally met Vijay at 6:30pm.

-After a meeting that lasted nearly two hours, he handed the letter of appointment to Vijay and his road to CM seat was now clear.

-Lok Bhavan released a statement later saying that Vijay would take oath at Chennai's Nehru stadium at 10 am tomorrow, May 10, 2026.

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: Another test awaits TVK chief even as he is all set to take oath as Tamil Nadu chief minister tomorrow at 10 am at Chennai's Nehru Stadium. Governor Arlekar has directed him to seek the vote of confidence of the Assembly on or before May 13, 2026.

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: After he takes the oath, Vijay will become the first leader outside the DMK and AIADMK formations to head the Tamil Nadu government since 1967.

via PTI

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: TVK chief is set to become the chief minister of Tamil Nadu as the Lok Bhavan on Saturday said that Governor RV Arlekar handed him the appointment letter, PTI reported.

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: TVK chief Vijay has left the Lok Bhavan after meeting the governor to stake claim in government formation as the TVK secured majority support on Saturday. He was accompanied by leaders from CPI, CPI(M), Congress, IUML and VCK. The meeting lasted for nearly two hours.

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: DMK chief MK Stalin did not want constitutional crisis, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai said as he noted that Vijay has been able to become chief minister with DMK allies' support. “Congratulations to the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Vijay. He is able to become the Chief Minister with the help of the allies of the DMK, and our leader, MK Stalin, has also earlier pointed out that he does not want a constitutional crisis... The people of Tamil Nadu have given a mandate... Thanks to our Chief Minister, he has persuaded the allies... We had extensive consultations with the DMK party leaders... Our leader, MK Stalin, has also mentioned the way the Congress has backstabbed the DMK... They won these five seats only because of the hard work of the DMK caders on the ground, the polling agent, the counting agent, and the booth level agent,” Annadurai said.

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: Here is the list of MLAs who joined Vijay at Lok Bhavan to meet governor:

TNCC President K Selvaperunthagai

CPI State secretary M Veerapandian

CPIM's K Shanmugam

IUML legislators Syed Farooq Basha, AM Shahjahan

VCK general secretary Vanni Arasu

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan skipped the meeting with governor and instead nominated party general secretary Vanni Arasu to join Vijay and other MLAs at the Lok Bhavan.

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: Governor Arlekar's meeting with TVK chief and other MLAs has been going on for over an hour now. Vijay headed to Lok Bhavan on Saturday evening after he received support from IUML and VCK as well.

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: TVK chief Vijay is likely to take oath tomorrow, HT has learnt. However, there is no confirmation from the Lok Bhavan on it yet.

Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan said outgoing CM and DMK chief MK Stalin told his alliance partners that they should not ‘disturb’ TVK in forming the government. “After the results on May 4, we met our alliance leader, CM MK Stalin. We thanked him, and then we discussed the results. He told us that we should not disturb TVK in forming the Govt. This is our stand, the president of our alliance told us,” Thirumavalavan said.