The Thalapathy era began in Tamil Nadu on Sunday as C Joseph Vijay, chief of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, took oath as the Chief Minister of the state at a grand ceremony held at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.
Dressed in a crisp white shirt, a blazer and black trousers, the actor-turned-politician took the oath of office and secrecy amid thunderous applause from supporters gathered inside the stadium.
“C Joseph Vijay yennum naan (I, C Joseph Vijay)” had an electrifying effect on his supporters — one that perhaps even his most iconic punch dialogues would not be able to match.
Vijay’s rise to the top post marks far more than a film star’s political success in a cinema-driven state. It caps one of the most dramatic political ascents Tamil Nadu has witnessed in decades. As thousands of supporters waved TVK flags outside the venue and party workers burst crackers across Tamil Nadu, Vijay, once known for his punch dialogues on screen, took oath as Tamil Nadu’s first non-Dravidian Chief Minister in nearly six decades.
The swearing-in ceremony was a heady mix of spectacle, emotion and political theatre.
As Vijay took oath, his visibly emotional parents watched from the audience as their son scripted political history. Adding star power to the moment, Trisha Krishnan, who arrived in a striking blue silk saree, drawing loud cheers from fans as she watched her longtime co-star become the CM. And in a moment loaded with political symbolism, Rahul Gandhi rushed to the venue to witness his party become part of a ruling dispensation in Tamil Nadu for the first time since 1967.
But Sunday’s spectacle was the culmination of four days of intense political negotiations to stitch together a government. While the debutant TVK emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats, it remained 10 short of a majority in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
While the Congress was quick to extend support, other parties took time to come on board. It was only after the Left parties, VCK, and the Indian Union Muslim League extended unconditional support that Vijay was able to stake claim to form the government and secure an invitation from Governor Rajendra Arlekar to take over as Chief Minister.
Notably, Vijay warmly welcomed Governor Rajendra Arlekar at the venue just before taking oath as Chief Minister, a gesture that did not go unnoticed in a state where the Governor’s role has often been at the centre of political friction.
With the swearing-in ceremony now complete, attention shifts to the floor test, the crucial constitutional requirement Vijay must fulfil before fully settling into office as Tamil Nadu’s new “Thalapathy”.
Source: India Today