Last Updated on May 14, 2026 by Gaurav
Tamil Nadu gets a new Chief Minister. There are chances that you’re familiar with his face. You have seen him in theatres, watched his films over and over again, and perhaps even had his poster on your wall. But few people would have imagined the day when he would replace the film set with the position of the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu on Sunday, May 10, 2026, saw the swearing-in of its ninth Chief Minister, ending almost six decades of power tussle between two parties. It’s not just a political story but also one of the most extraordinary moments in Indian democracy.
Who is the New Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu?
Source: TVK
C Joseph Vijay who is famously known as Vijay Thalapathy is the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He was sworn in on 10th May 2026 making him the 9th person to hold this position.
He was a huge star in Tamil films before he went into politics. He became a household name in India with his movies.
The Historic 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly Election
The 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly election was unlike anything the state had seen since the 1960s.
TVK won 108 out of 234 seats, making it the single largest party in the assembly. This was the first time a party outside the DMK and AIADMK had come to power in Tamil Nadu in nearly six decades.
The outgoing Chief Minister M. K. Stalin lost from Kolathur, a seat he had won three times in a row. This was one of the biggest shocks of the election.
TVK’s chief ministerial candidate Vijay won both the Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East constituencies he contested in. He later chose to retain the Perambur seat.
READ| List of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu [1920-2026]: Current CM, Tenure & Party
Early Life and Family Background of Vijay Thalapathy
Chandrasekaran Joseph Vijay was born on June 22, 1974 in Madras, Tamil Nadu. His father S. A. Chandrasekaran is a film director. His mother, Shoba Chandrasekhar, is a playback singer. Creativity and storytelling was always a part of his life from his childhood.
He studied in Fathima school, Kodambakkam and then in Balalok school, Virugambakkam. He attended Loyola College, but left to pursue acting.
Vijay Thalapathy Film Career
Vijay began his career as a child actor in the 1980s. In 1992, he made his debut as a lead hero in a movie directed by his own father. In the late 1990s he was a youth favorite with romantic films.
From there, he never looked back. During his career of 30 years, Vijay starred in 68 films and is one of the highest grossing actors in Tamil film industry, with many of his films becoming highest-grossing Tamil films of all time, and he became one of the highest-paid actors in India.
His movies are played in over eighty countries and five continents. His nickname in the media was “Thalapathy” (meaning commander) and his fans embraced it.
Vijay retired from the film industry after 68 movies, including the blockbuster The Greatest of All Time (GOAT) in 2024, to take up full-time public service. His last movie, Jana Nayagan, was a link between his acting career and his political ideology.
Thalapathy Vijay’s Political Journey
His transition into politics was not quick. Vijay gathered his fan clubs from all over Tamilnadu in July 2009, which were around 85,000 under a welfare association named Vijay Makkal Iyakkam. This was the first coordinated political move.
At the local body elections held in 2022, the members of his fan network had contested and won 115 seats. The message was loud and clear. It was not only films that made him popular.
In February 2024, Vijay officially announced his retirement from acting and started his political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) which means Victory Party of Tamilakam. The party’s values are equality, secularism and social justice.
The name translates to Victory Party of Tamilakam. TVK was built on three pillars: Social Justice, Secularism, and Egalitarianism, drawn from the teachings of Periyar, Ambedkar, Kamaraj, Velu Nachiyar, and Anjalai Ammal.
Vijay made his political vision very clear from the start. He positioned TVK as an alternative to both the DMK and the AIADMK, promising clean governance and a corruption-free administration. His focus on youth, women voters, and urban professionals gave the party a very different energy compared to traditional Dravidian politics.
He began his life as a film artist, but as a socially responsible human being, he immersed himself in all forms of social activity. He took on the great duty of shaping his fans into responsible individuals, transforming fan clubs into forums for public service. With social responsibility and selfless public service as his sole duty, the time came to organize the Thalapathy’s service-minded followers into a movement — thus was born the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam.
TVK
The Swearing-in Ceremony
C. Joseph Vijay was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, May 10, 2026. The ceremony marked a turning point not just for Tamil Nadu but for Indian politics as a whole. He is the first chief minister from a non-Dravidian party since 1969.
The government is a coalition, with the Indian National Congress as a partner. Parties like VCK, CPI, CPI(M), and IUML are providing outside support.
Who Was the Previous Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu?
The DMK’s M. K. Stalin took over as Chief Minister in 2021 and remained in office till 2026. He was defeated by TVK’s V. S. Babu in the 2026 election from Kolathur, marking the first time a sitting Chief Minister in Tamil Nadu has lost his seat since Jayalalithaa in 1996.
There is a long history of film stars turning politicians in Tamil Nadu. The two great examples are MGR and Jayalalithaa. Vijay is now a part of that rare group, but with one distinguishing factor. He was building his party from the ground up, with no political legacy or political structure.
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