Tamil Nadu: Coalition Government Returns After 1952

Actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay, founder-president of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on May 10, 2026.

Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Vijay at a grand ceremony held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium. Nine ministers were also sworn in as part of the new Council of Ministers.

Historic Political Milestone

Vijay became:

• The first Christian Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, and
• The first leader since 1967 to head a government in the state that is neither led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) nor the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

The new government also marks Tamil Nadu’s first coalition government in over seven decades.

Coalition Government Returns After 1952

The TVK-led alliance secured the support of 120 MLAs in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, crossing the majority mark of 118 required to form the government.

Although TVK emerged as the single-largest party in the Assembly elections, it fell short of an outright majority, leading to intense post-poll negotiations among political parties.

This is the first coalition government in Tamil Nadu since 1952, when the then Madras State witnessed a fractured verdict. In that election:

• The Congress emerged as the single-largest party,
• The communists came second, and
• C. Rajagopalachari formed a coalition government with the support of Manickavel Naicker and the Wheel Party, which later merged with Congress.

Until Vijay’s swearing-in, that remained Tamil Nadu’s first and last coalition government.

Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2026

Elections for the 234-member 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly were held on April 23, 2026, and the results were declared on May 4, 2026.

The election recorded the highest voter turnout in Tamil Nadu’s history at 85.1%.

Seat Tally

• TVK: 108 seats
• Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA): 73 seats
  • DMK: 59
  • INC: 5
• NDA: 53 seats
  • AIADMK: 47
  • BJP: 1

Despite falling short of the majority mark on its own, the TVK successfully stitched together a coalition, paving the way for Vijay to assume office as Chief Minister.