Vijay Makes First Move Away From CM Seat, Joins Ministers in Tamil Nadu Assembly

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay made an unusual change to the Assembly seating arrangement on Thursday, August 27, leaving his designated chair to sit alongside Cabinet ministers during the afternoon session.

Vijay is normally seated next to the Speaker, with Cabinet ministers occupying the front row according to seniority. However, during Thursday’s proceedings, the actor-turned-politician moved from his designated chair and sat between TVK ministers KA Sengottaiyan and Aadhav Arjuna.

Sources cited by India Today described the move as unprecedented for a Chief Minister. Ministers and MLAs occasionally change seats to interact with colleagues, but a Chief Minister moving away from the designated CM seat is considered highly unusual.

Vijay, who heads the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), has attracted considerable attention since taking office for his unconventional style of functioning and approach to governance.

TVK LEADS GOVERNMENT AFTER 2026 POLLS

The move comes after the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, in which TVK emerged as the largest party, winning 108 of the 234 seats.

Although the party did not secure a majority on its own, it formed the government with backing from the Congress and other allies, paving the way for Vijay to become Chief Minister.

UDHAYANIDHI QUESTIONS ABSENCE OF SECRETARIES

Elsewhere in the Assembly, Leader of the Opposition and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin raised concerns about department secretaries not being present inside the House.

Referring to discussions around the Karur stampede, Udhayanidhi recalled that senior bureaucrats and former Chief Minister MK Stalin had attended the Assembly during key debates under the previous government.

TVK minister Aadhav Arjuna responded that the department secretaries were working from an adjoining “war room”. He said the officials were following the proceedings and recording the concerns raised by legislators.

Vijay’s decision to sit with his ministers nevertheless became one of the most notable moments of Thursday’s Assembly proceedings.