An open letter to Joseph Vijay

In this screengrab from a video posted on May 10, 2026, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C. Joseph Vijay takes oath as the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister during the swearing-in ceremony, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in Chennai. Photo: X/@TVKVijayHQ-Offl/via PTI Photo

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C. Joseph Vijay was sworn-in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister in Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Sunday (May 10, 2026) morning — a moment long awaited by several thousand fans and supporters. As Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new Chief Minister, emotionally-charged supporters cheered their ‘Thalapathy’ assuming Tamil Nadu’s top political office. Several fans turned visibly emotional, with some shedding tears of joy as they witnessed the actor-turned-politician becoming the Chief Minister of the State. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was present on the stage.Tamil Nadu swearing-in ceremony LIVE updatesDressed in a black blazer and black pants, Mr. Vijay wore his characteristic smile as he walked up to the podium to be administered the customary oath of office and secrecy. As he commenced uttering “C. Joseph Vijay ennum naan…”, the crowd erupted in celebration, with whistle sounds filling the stadium with excitement and a sense of political arrival.TVK contested in 233 constituencies without any allies and secured around 1.7 crore of the total 4.9 crore votes polled in the April 23 Assembly election. Over the five days after his party secured 108 of the 234 seats in the Assembly on May 4, Mr. Vijay managed to secure the support of the Congress, the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, and the Indian Union Muslim League to form the government. On Saturday evening, the Governor appointed Mr. Vijay as the Chief Minister with a direction to seek the vote of confidence of the Assembly on or before May 13.The Cabinet led by Mr. Vijay also marked a new political chapter after five decades that will be scripted neither by the AIADMK nor the DMK. In February 2024, Mr. Vijay formally launched his party, contending that his Vijay Makkal Iyakkam fan club alone could not bring about social, economic and political reforms and that political power was necessary. In a statement issued on February 2 that year, Mr. Vijay had vowed to oppose a political culture riddled with corruption and divisive practices based on caste and religion.Mr. Vijay’s political journey since 2024 is said to have prompted several young people and cinema fans to take greater interest in politics, with the TVK emerging as an alternative political platform for many in the State. At the same time, the two-year-old party’s ideological positioning, organisational structure and the political acumen of many of its functionaries may still be evolving. For now, however, the TVK with Mr. Vijay as its face, seems to have sufficient electoral strength to keep both the AIADMK and the DMK out of power in Tamil Nadu. Published - May 10, 2026 11:06 am IST

Vijay Oath Ceremony LIVE Updates: Vijay To Take Oath With 9 TVK Leaders Soon, Actor Trisha, Rahul Gandhi Present NDTV Tamil Nadu swearing-in ceremony LIVE: TVK president C. Joseph Vijay arrives at venue The Hindu Vijay’s first cabinet of 9 ministers in Tamil Nadu: Here’s full list The Indian Express Meet Vijay’s new cabinet: Ex-IRS officer, 29-year-old actress among initial picks India Today Tamil Nadu CM oath ceremony LIVE: Vijay to take oath with 9 ministers shortly; Rahul Gandhi present at venue Hindustan Times

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar hands over the letter of appointment to TVK chief C. Joseph Vijay as the new state Chief Minister at the Lok Bhavan in Chennai on May 9, 2026.

| Photo Credit: PTI

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C. Joseph Vijay will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday (May 10, 2026), putting an end to almost six decades of alternating rule by the State’s two dominant Dravidian parties—DMK and AIADMK.Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Saturday (May 9) appointed Mr. Vijay as Chief Minister-designate after he secured the support of 120 MLAs-elect in the 234-member House.Mr. Vijay will take the oath at Nehru Stadium in Chennai at 10 a.m. on Sunday (May 10). Nine other Ministers, including some senior TVK leaders, will also be sworn in. Mr. Vijay will head a coalition government with the Congress as a partner.Also read: Tamil Nadu government formation highlightsThe Governor has also directed Mr. Vijay to seek a vote of confidence in the Assembly on or before May 13. The nail-biting political uncertainty that prevailed over the last few days ended on Saturday (May 9) evening, when the VCK and the IUML extended their support, taking the TVK’s tally to 120. Later, Mr. Vijay called on the Governor at Lok Bhavan in Chennai and handed over letters of support from the Congress, CPI, CPI (M), VCK and IUML.The TVK, which won 108 seats in the recent Assembly election, has an effective strength of 107 as party president Mr. Vijay was elected from two constituencies. He will have to vacate one seat. The party secured the support of five Congress MLAs-elect and two each from the CPI, CPI(M), VCK and IUML, all of whom had contested as part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA).Though the Congress snapped ties with the DMK to forge a post-poll alliance with the TVK, the other parties said that while they were extending support to the TVK for government formation, they would continue to remain part of the DMK-led alliance.TVK cadre celebrated Mr. Vijay’s appointment as the Chief Minister by distributing sweets and bursting crackers at the party headquarters in Panaiyur and at several other places.Support to TVK to avoid President’s ruleWith the CPI and CPI (M) already expressing support for the TVK, the TVK had been awaiting the VCK’s decision. It was expected that the VCK would extend support around noon, but the formal letter was handed over to TVK general secretary (election campaign management) Aadhav Arjuna only in the evening.Later, speaking to reporters at the VCK headquarters, party founder-president Thol. Thirumavalavan said, “Since the time of the People’s Welfare Front, the Left and the VCK have been functioning together based on ideology. Therefore, in the context of this political crisis, the Left and the VCK consulted and decided together, keeping a long-term vision in mind.”Mr. Thirumavalavan said the decision to support the TVK was taken after consulting the party’s high-level committee. “The basis of this decision is to prevent President’s rule from being imposed in Tamil Nadu by using this political crisis, and we do not want to be an obstacle to the TVK forming the new government.”Mr. Thirumavalavan also made it clear that his party would extend unconditional support to the government from outside. When asked if the alliance with the DMK would continue, he said, “We are still in the DMK-led alliance. But as a political party, we have used our independence to take this stand. I don’t think this will affect our relationship.” Published - May 09, 2026 07:39 pm IST

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam founder C. Joseph Vijay with N. Anand. File.

| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Nine Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Ministers are expected to be sworn in on the morning of Sunday (May 10, 2026), along with Chief Minister-designate C. Joseph Vijay.Also read: Tamil Nadu Government formation highlights on May 9, 2026Those who have made it to the list submitted to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar are N. Anand (elected from T. Nagar); Aadhav Arjuna (Villivakkam); K.G. Arunraj (Tiruchengodu); K.A. Sengottaiyan (Gobichettypalayam); P. Venkataramanan (Mylapore); C.T.R. Nirmalkumar (Thirupparankundram); A. Rajmohan (Egmore); T.K. Prabhu (Karaikudi); and S. Keerthana (Sivakasi).Including Mr. Vijay (who has

been elected from Perambur and Tiruchi East), Chennai will have five Ministers. As for the western belt, there will be two Ministers and the south, three. As of now, there will be one representative each for women and Scheduled Castes (SC).

Portfolios for all the Ministers are likely to be announced later. Published - May 09, 2026 11:55 pm IST

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay. File

| Photo Credit: PTI

A writ petition has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C. Joseph Vijay on the basis of income tax proceedings initiated after the release of his Tamil movie Puli in 2015 for alleged suppression of income, receipt of unaccounted cash remuneration and concealment of financial transactions.The High Court Registry numbered the writ petition on Wednesday (May 6, 2026) and it is expected to be listed under the caption ‘For Maintainability’ shortly. Though the case was filed last month, the Registry had refused to number the case. However, the first Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan, on April 8, directed the Registry to number it subject to maintainability.The Income Tax department had conducted a search and seizure operation on the premises belonging to Mr. Vijay on September 30, 2015, and seized certain incriminating materials. The materials indicated that P.T. Selvakumar and Shibu of SKT Studios, producers of Puli, had paid him ₹4.93 crore in cash apart from the remuneration of ₹16 crore through cheques.The producers had deposited the Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) only for the cheque amount and not the cash transaction. When Mr. Vijay was confronted with the records, he reportedly admitted to have received ₹5 crore in cash and agreed to pay the taxes for it. When asked how much of unaccounted income had he earned in the last six years, he replied he hadn’t received any unaccounted cash but for the ₹5 crore for Puli.Nevertheless, to cooperate with the I-T department and resolve the tax issues in an amicable manner, Mr. Vijay had agreed to disclose an additional income of ₹15 crore (including the cash transaction of ₹5 crore) for the financial year 2015-16 and pay the necessary taxes for it.Subsequently, on July 29, 2016, he filed his return of income for the assessment year 2016-17 declaring his total income to be ₹35.42 crore, including the additional ₹15 crore. While filing the returns, he claimed depreciation of assets worth ₹17.81 lakh and sought exemption for his fans’ club expenses of ₹64.71 lakh.However, the department disallowed his claims and passed an assessment order on December 30, 2017, determining the taxable income to be ₹38.25 crore. The assessment order also stated that the actor would not have disclosed the additional income but for the search and seizure operation.Therefore, the department imposed penalty under Sections 271(1)(c) and 271AAB(1) of the I-T Act. Though he chose to go on statutory appeal against the assessment order as well as the penalty imposed under Section 271(1)(c), the penalty under Section 271AAB(1) alone was challenged by way of a writ petition. Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy dismissed the writ petition on February 6, 2026.Though a writ appeal was filed against the dismissal order, it is yet to be listed for hearing before a Division Bench. In the meantime, referring to these incidents, the present petitioner M. Rajkumar of Kodungaiyur in Chennai had approached the court seeking a direction to the I-T department to initiate prosecution against Mr. Vijay and also to the appropriate law enforcement agencies to register a FIR.The petitioner has also sought a direction to the I-T department to place the materials before the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) for the purpose of ascertaining whether any offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act too had been committed. Published - May 06, 2026 06:27 pm IST

TVK president C. Joseph Vijay.

| Photo Credit: R. RAGU

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C. Joseph Vijay on Tuesday thanked the people of Tamil Nadu and said he owes lifelong gratitude to them, who have made possible a political victory for change that once seemed impossible.In a post on X, Mr. Vijay said through this election, it has been firmly established that TVK is a major leading force for change. Right from the launch of the party, many dismissed and ridiculed TVK. Published - May 06, 2026 12:56 am IST

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An open letter to Joseph Vijay The Hindu