‘There will be only one power centre, that is me’: Vijay takes charge as Tamil Nadu CM
New CM signs files promising three poll promises: 200 units of free electricity for domestic consumers, a special force for women’s safety, and a statewide anti-drug mechanism.
C Joseph Vijay assumed office as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, signed three key policy files and declared that his government would have “only one power centre”. (ANI Photo) After taking oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on Sunday morning, C Joseph Vijay signed three files that he wanted the state to see first: 200 units of free electricity for domestic consumers, a special force for women’s safety with a helpline, and a statewide anti-drug mechanism.
Then he stood up before a roaring crowd and delivered the clearest political message of his young administration. “Nobody should even think that now that we have come to power, we can go on a rampage,” Vijay said. “Do not even keep such ideas in mind. Clear it off. There will be only one power centre, that is me.”
It was an unusual first day for a Tamil Nadu CM amid part political transition, part mass spectacle, part emotional culmination of a decades-long film relationship between a star and his audience. And Vijay attempted to present himself as something else: a man inheriting a damaged state and asking for time to rebuild it.
“The state has been left behind in a bad shape,” he said, promising a white paper on Tamil Nadu’s finances during the previous DMK government. “I will release the white paper first. The previous government has left us with a debt of Rs 10 lakh crore.”
The speech moved between personal memory and administrative warning. Vijay spoke about growing up as the son of an assistant director, knowing “poverty and hunger,” and not coming from a “royal lineage.” He reminded the audience that he had faced humiliation and hardship before entering the cinema. “I am like your son, your brother. You gave me a place in your hearts,” he said.
The oath-taking ceremony unfolded with the rhythm of a political rally and a film event merging into a single frame. By 9 am, the stadium had begun filling with TVK cadres, film fans, allies and invited guests. Actor Trisha arrived. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi flew in from Delhi and took his seat on the stage. Vijay’s parents sat among the audience. Senior TVK leaders moved in and out of the arena as giant screens relayed visuals to cheering supporters.
At 10.24 am, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office to Vijay, who briefly deviated from the prepared text before being gently asked by the Governor to follow the official script.
The moment carried a strange political symmetry for Tamil Nadu. For nearly six decades, the state has repeatedly watched cinema and politics cross-pollinate through figures such as C N Annadurai, M G Ramachandran, M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa. But Vijay’s rise came from a different kind of political energy – less cadre-based, more fan-driven, amplified by digital culture and sustained by a younger electorate impatient with the old order. On Sunday, that fan energy turned into state power.
Soon after taking oath, Vijay was joined by nine Ministers, including senior TVK leaders ‘Bussy’ N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, K A Sengottaiyan, P Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar and Rajmohan.
The Governor had formally invited Vijay to form the government on Saturday after the TVK-led bloc secured the support of 120 MLAs in the 234-member Assembly. The final stretch to the majority mark had come after support letters arrived from the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the IUML, ending days of uncertainty and speculation over government formation.
Vijay must now prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly before May 13.
Vijay repeatedly framed his victory as an emotional debt to the people of Tamil Nadu rather than merely an electoral triumph. “I entered politics to repay the debt of gratitude I owe to you,” he said. He also attempted to draw a sharp distinction between his administration and the one it replaced and promised “transparent governance.” His government would not “loot people’s money”, Vijay said, and vowed not to make “false promises”.
At the same time, he signalled continuity with the state’s welfare-heavy political culture. Free electricity remained central. So did social justice. “A new era of real, secular social justice starts now,” he declared.
The crowd inside the stadium responded to nearly every pause with chants and applause. Vijay thanked what he called “virtual warriors,” a reference to the online volunteers and supporters who helped build the TVK’s digital campaign machinery. He acknowledged allies by name — Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, M A Baby, D Raja, Thol Thirumavalavan and others — signalling the coalition nature of his government.
For years, Tamil Nadu’s politics operated around two large Dravidian formations that seemed permanent even in decline. On Sunday, the state watched a new CM attempt to turn cinematic intimacy into administrative legitimacy. The cheering was loud. The promises were larger. The burden, Vijay said, would be larger still.
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