Chennai, May 10 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi arrived in Chennai on Sunday to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C. Joseph Vijay as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Gandhi landed in Chennai amid tight security arrangements and was received by senior Congress leaders and TVK functionaries.

His visit comes at a historic political moment in Tamil Nadu, where Vijay is preparing to head a coalition-backed government after the recently concluded Assembly elections produced a fractured mandate.

Vijay crossed the crucial majority mark in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly after securing the support of 120 MLAs. While the TVK emerged as the single largest party with 107 seats, the party later received support from the Congress, the CPI, the CPI-M, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) — all of whom were in the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, enabling Vijay to comfortably stake claim to form the government.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar subsequently invited Vijay to form the government and directed him to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly before May 13.

The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai at 10 a.m. Along with Vijay, nine ministers are expected to take the oath. Senior TVK leaders K.A. Sengottaiyan, Aadhav Arjuna, and several alliance representatives are likely to be part of the first cabinet.

Meanwhile, noted Tamil filmmaker and Vijay’s father, S.A. Chandrashekhar, expressed happiness over his son assuming office as Chief Minister.

Interacting with media persons, Chandrashekhar said: “Today people will be very happy”, and described the development as an emotional and proud moment for the family. Vijay’s mother, Shoba Chandrashekhar, also expressed joy over the political milestone achieved by her son. “I am very happy,” she said briefly while interacting with reporters ahead of the ceremony.

The formation of the Vijay-led government marks a major political shift in Tamil Nadu, as it is the first time in nearly six decades that a government not led by either the DMK or AIADMK is assuming power in the state. The event is expected to witness the participation of several national and regional political leaders, film personalities, and thousands of Vijay supporters from across Tamil Nadu.

–IANS

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