“Tamil people have succeeded through Vijay…”: TVK Chief’s father after ‘Thalapathy’ gets Governor’s nod to form govt

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 9 (ANI): Father of the TVK Chief Vijay on Saturday expressed his happiness over the appointment of the actor-turned politician as the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, exhorting him to "Do everything for Tamilians."
"I am happy. I am so happy. Whatever I am doing, I am doing it only for my son. Finally, Tamil people have succeeded through Vijay," he told reporters after Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar appointed TVK Chief Vijay as the Chief Minister of the State on Saturday night.
"Do everything for Tamilians," he said while giving a message to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) Chief, who crossed the majority mark of 118 MLAs, including 108 of his own party, in the 234-member state assembly.
Ponni, a friend of his family, shared, "We are very happy. We are supporting you (Vijay) always. We are trusting you."
In an order, Governor Arekar said, "I, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Governor of Tamil Nadu, hereby appoint Thiru C Joseph Vijay, as the Chief Minister of the State of Tamil Nadu, under Article 163 of the Constitution of India."
Meanwhile, Thalapathy's fans and TVK supporters rejoiced in excitement across Tamil Nadu.
A party supporter and fan shared her excitement, saying that she had not eaten food since yesterday and has been waiting for Vijay to be appointed as the Chief Minister since May 4, when the results of the Tamil Nadu assembly polls were announced and TVK got 108 seats, just 10 short of the majority mark.
"We have been eagerly waiting for this moment. I have not eaten food since yesterday. We have been waiting for this one word (Chief Minister) since May 4," he said.
Another fan, Balaji, said they are "overwhelmed with emotions and happiness."
"No one can destroy us. People said we would get one seat or 10 lakh-20 lakh votes. Nobody could have imagined that this party that started two years ago would now be sitting in the CM seat. We are overwhelmed with emotions and happiness," he said.
A supporter, Vasanth, shared happiness, saying that everyone is waiting to witness "Thalapathy's Assembly."
"Everyone is waiting for that moment. We have not witnessed MGR's assembly. We have not witnessed Kamaraj's assembly. We are going to witness our Thalapathy's assembly, and we are very happy to be here today," he remarked.
A party supporter, Purnima, expressed happiness, saying that someone new has been elected in Tamil Nadu.
"We are very excited. First time, in a democratic country, people had the right to vote and chose a perfect person in Tamil Nadu. I am very happy, someone new to this election got the love of the people. He will succeed," he said.
Earlier on Saturday night, Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor Arlekar at Lok Bhavan after his party, with the support of the post-poll allies, crossed the majority mark required to form the government in the state Assembly.
TVK's tally has now reached 121 in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, comfortably crossing the majority mark of 118.
TVK emerged as the single largest party in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, winning 108 seats in its electoral debut.
The party was initially short of the majority mark but subsequently secured the backing of Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Once sworn in, Vijay will become the first leader outside the DMK and AIADMK formations to head the Tamil Nadu government since 1967, marking a major political shift in the state.
Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is also expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony, which is scheduled to take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Sunday. (ANI)