Chennai, May 10 (IANS) The first session of the newly elected Tamil Nadu Assembly will convene on Monday at 9:30 a.m., with Pro-tem Speaker MV Karuppaiah set to administer the oath to all newly elected MLAs following the formation of the new government led by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Chief C. Joseph Vijay.

Ahead of the Assembly session, Karuppaiah on Sunday took oath as the Pro-tem Speaker at a ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath to the Cholavandhan MLA, who will preside over the initial proceedings of the Assembly until the election of the Speaker.

The election for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Assembly is scheduled to be held the following day.

Earlier on Sunday, TVK President Vijay was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu at a grand ceremony attended by political leaders, film personalities, party workers and supporters.

Governor Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Vijay, who later arrived at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat and formally assumed charge as the Chief Minister.

Vijay’s swearing-in marks a major political shift in Tamil Nadu, ending the decades-long dominance of the DMK and AIADMK in state politics.

The actor-turned-politician assumed office after the TVK emerged as the single largest party in the recently concluded Assembly elections by winning 108 seats in the 234-member House.

Though the party fell short of the majority mark on its own, the TVK Chief comfortably attained the required number of 118 with the support of alliance and outside parties, including the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), VCK and IUML.

With the backing of these parties, the TVK-led combine secured the support of 120 MLAs, paving the way for the formation of the new government.

Nine Ministers were also sworn in alongside Vijay as members of the new Council of Ministers.

The Assembly session beginning on Monday is expected to formally set in motion the Legislative functioning of the new government, with all eyes on the priorities and policy direction of the Vijay-led administration in the coming days.

–IANS

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