Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief C Joseph Vijay is scheduled to take oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu before Governor Rajendra Arlikar here on Sunday.
Based on the party chief’s recommendations, nine people from TVK will be appointed to the Vijay-led Cabinet, a Lok Bhavan statement said on Sunday.
The governor approved the recommendation made by the Prime Minister regarding the nine persons to be appointed as ministers, including party general secretary N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, KG Arunraj, K Sengottaiyan, P Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar, R Rajmohan, T K Prabhu and S Keerthana, the statement said.
Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam emerged as the largest single party in the April 23 Assembly elections by securing 108 assembly segments, short of the 117 seats required for a majority.
The two-year-old party approached several parties and received support from Congress, CPI, CPI(M), All India Muslim League and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), taking the total number to 120 and enabling it to form the government.
On May 9, the VCK and the Indian Union Muslim League, after days of suspense, extended their “unconditional” support. While the Congress is expected to be part of Vijay’s government, the Left parties, VCK and IUML have announced that they will extend “external” support to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
The swearing-in ceremony of the Vijay-led Cabinet is scheduled to be held at 10 am on Sunday at the famous Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium. A host of leaders, including Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, are likely to attend the event.
Governor Arlikar, who invited the TVK chief to form the government, directed him to prove his majority in the Tamil Nadu Assembly by seeking a vote of confidence on or before May 13.
Soon after Vijay’s TVK party secured the required majority to form the government, a host of political leaders, including outgoing Chief Minister M K Stalin, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai and former Union minister P Chidambaram, extended their greetings to the new government on Sunday.
