Thalapathy Vijay was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu by Governor R.N. Ravi at JN Indoor Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai — in the presence of over 50,000 supporters and national leaders including Rahul Gandhi. 12 ministers were sworn in simultaneously in Phase 1. The ceremony ended 59 years of DMK–AIADMK alternation in Tamil Nadu's highest office.
The 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly's first formal sitting. All newly elected MLAs were sworn in as Members of the Legislative Assembly. J.C.D. Prabhakar (TVK, Aruppukkottai) was then elected as the 15th Speaker unopposed, and M. Ravisankar (TVK) as Deputy Speaker. On the same day, CM Vijay issued G.O. No.7 ordering the closure of 717 TASMAC outlets near schools, temples and bus stands within 14 days.
The TVK government passed its confidence motion with 144 MLAs voting in favour — far exceeding the majority mark of 116. The 25 rebel AIADMK MLAs crossing party lines were decisive. CM Vijay addressed the Assembly in his first speech as Chief Minister, laying out the government's priorities: social justice, anti-corruption, federalism and NEET scrapping.
Note: TVK's voting strength counted as 105, not 108 — CM Vijay vacated Tiruchirappalli East, the Speaker does not vote, and one TVK MLA faced a temporary court order (later stayed by Supreme Court). The 25 rebel AIADMK MLAs were decisive in securing a comfortable majority.
The First Regular Session of the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly commenced on June 18, 2026 — over a month after the TVK government was sworn in. Governor Rajendra Arlekar delivered the Governor's Address to the joint sitting of both Houses, outlining the TVK government's policy priorities and governance agenda. The address formally set the legislative calendar for the session and provided the framework for subsequent budget and policy debates.
Day 2 of the First Regular Session. The House continued legislative business including the Governor's Address debate. CM Vijay personally moved a resolution condemning Karnataka's Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir project — passed unanimously with support from all parties including DMK, CPI, CPM, MDMK and PMK. This came days after the Supreme Court dismissed TN's review petition as premature.
The Assembly continued its First Regular Session on June 22 — also CM Vijay's 52nd birthday. The House took up the Motion of Thanks on the Governor's Address for continued debate. Two significant proceedings also took place: the government announced the formation of a high-level audit committee for hazardous industrial units statewide, and a lighter exchange over drinking water arrangements for MLAs drew laughter across party lines.
The official List of Business for June 22, 2026 is available on the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly website →
The First Regular Session concluded on June 23 with CM Vijay delivering his first detailed, comprehensive speech in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. In his reply to the full Opposition debate on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor's Address, CM Vijay directly responded to critics who had dismissed TVK as an "actors' party" — asserting that the people's mandate answered that criticism. He reiterated his government's commitment to transparency, accountability and democratic governance, and responded to Opposition concerns on law and order, women's safety, power supply, Cauvery dispute procedure and industrial safety.
Read the full article: CM Vijay's First Assembly Speech →