Who is the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu?

Key facts

Chief Minister since

10 May 2026

Party

TVK

Constituency

Perambur

Before him

M. K. Stalin (7 May 2021 to 10 May 2026)

His departments, as the Government's list reads (last checked 26 September 2026): Public; General Administration; Home; Police; Special Programme Implementation; Special Initiatives; Poverty Alleviation & Rural Indebtedness; Youth Welfare; Welfare of Children, the Aged & Differently Abled; Municipal Administration; Urban & Water Supply.

How he became Chief Minister

No party won the 118 seats needed for a majority in April 2026, so the Governor asked TVK, the largest party, to show the support of 118 MLAs. On 9 May 2026 Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar invited Vijay to form the government; he took the oath on 10 May 2026 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, and the House gave his government its confidence on 13 May 2026, 144 votes to 22.

Vijay won two seats in April, Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East, and gave up Tiruchirappalli East on 10 May 2026, so he sits for Perambur. Who backs the government: the TVK government and its supporters.

How the post works

The Governor appoints the Chief Minister, and the council of ministers is collectively responsible to the Assembly (Article 164 of the Constitution). The 17th Assembly's five-year term runs to 10 May 2031 unless it is dissolved sooner (Article 172(1)).

More: who is who in Tamil Nadu · the cabinet · the swearing-in · every Chief Minister since 1920 · is there a Deputy Chief Minister?.