Thalapathy Vijay, officially named Chandrasekhar Joseph Vijay, was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 10, 2026, at Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Governor R.N. Arlekar administered the oath. In an emotional speech, Vijay reflected on his humble background, saying he understood poverty and hunger and had faced many hardships. He pledged to prioritize education, healthcare, and water access, and to support farmers and fishers.

Vijay stated that the state had inherited a debt burden of nearly 10 trillion rupees from the DMK administration, but assured that not a single rupee of public funds would be wasted or misused. He promised a new era of secularism and social justice, thanking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Praveen Chakraborty, and leftist allies for their support.

After the ceremony, Vijay’s first directives included free electricity up to 200 units, a special task force against drugs, and a dedicated force and helpline for women’s safety. His coalition, formed with Congress, CPI, CPM, VCK, and IUML, holds 120 seats and must prove its majority in the assembly by May 13.