The political landscape of Tamil Nadu is changing dramatically as new Chief Minister (CM) Vijay prepares for his much-anticipated swearing-in on May 9 at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai after extensive negotiations within the Tamil Nadu state assembly regarding the formation of a new government. For many observers, this marks the most important shift in Tamil Nadu’s body politic since 1967.
Vijay’s political party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has catapulted to the forefront of Tamil Nadu’s political landscape since its entry into state assembly elections; TVK won 108/234 assembly seats during their first complete assembly election campaign. This victory makes TVK the largest single political party in Tamil Nadu assembly and ends decades of DMK/AIADMK dominance over the state legislature.
While not achieving the majority requirement (118 seats) for forming a new government, reports indicate that TVK has gained the support of other political parties (without being specific), including the Congress party and left-wing allies, which will help support an approaching new government. The results of this election indicate a significant shift in public perception of Vijay; his focus on governance issues rather than acting as an actor appeal to people beyond his acting career.
Governor Meeting and Government Formation
Over several recent days, Vijay is said to have convened several meetings with the Governor of Tamil Nadu, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, in an effort to form a government by claiming the necessary majority. According to sources, these meetings focused on Vijay’s evidence of majority support (i.e., the number of elected Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs)) and his ability to secure the support of his political alliances.
There were lots of questions surrounding Vijay’s swearing-in ceremony because there was some disagreement over the number of MLAs that support Vijay. Analysts tracking this unprecedented event in Tamil Nadu’s politics say that the TVK party should be able to quickly show that they have the Assembly under majority rule.
There are estimates that a lot of preparation is going into the swearing-in ceremony in Chennai; a lot of people and organizations that are going to be helping to work on the logistics, traffic and security for the event. Unfortunately, while it has been reported in various places that the ceremony will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, it appears there might be other venues being discussed.
Thousands of political party workers and supporters will be at the event, as well as national political leaders, well known and well respected actors and other political leaders.
There are already many large posts and signs in many different neighbourhoods throughout Tamil Nadu from all the supporters of Vijay, and many of those supporters are already in the streets celebrating.
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From Cinema Superstar to Chief Minister
Since Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam was formed, better known as TVK, and the fact that its leader Vijay is one of the biggest stars in Tamil cinema and established his fan base over many years with successful movies, as well as through some of the socially relevant messages that have been portrayed in those films, his entry into politics has received much attention.
A large part of the change was expected before he officially entered into politics; however, once he did, it is unclear how he will perform throughout the campaign because a large portion of his efforts have been aimed at appealing to the youth and attending public events and also at establishing relationships at the grassroots level.
Vijay’s emergence as a key political figure is another example of the historical trend that has seen many film stars from Tamil Nadu move into politics like (MGR & J. Jayalalitha).
Going Forward Challenges for New Administration
Moving forward with this level of success, it will be a challenge for both Vijay and TVK to create a new administration that will be politically stable, maintain the support of their allies, and develop plans to address critical issues such as unemployment, the high cost of living, the management of water resources, the creation of new jobs, and the development of new industries within the state.
Experts argue that the pressure placed upon Vijay’s newly appointed government will outweigh pressure placed upon the PPV and the rest of the opposition. This stems from the fact that younger supporters of the PPV, along with all those who cast their vote for TVK’s candidates, are expecting actual change from the government during their time in office.
Bottom line
Following upon the excitement surrounding the expected inauguration of Chief Minister Vijay on May 9, farmer’s associations, as well as other community-based organisations, are imminently concerned about how to continue to work with the new government in order to complete the campaign promises regarding assistance to agriculture and social welfare reforms, and how to implement those promises once their elected representatives have assumed office.
The anticipated inauguration of Vijay as Chief Minister will likely result in a major shift in Tamil Nadu’s “leadership” and could be viewed by some as a generational and/or political transformation in Tamil Nadu.
On May 9, Vijay will be sworn as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu at a ceremony to be held in Chennai; as one of the most well-known actors from Tamil Nadu, he will be expected to lead the state’s future following the transition from a film-based industry to successful operations.
