MLA · 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly (2026–31)Former MLA · 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly (2026–31)

C. Joseph Vijay
  • Won 2026 by 53,715
  • Chief Minister

C. Joseph Vijay

சி. ஜோசப் விஜய்

MLA for Perambur since May 2026MLA for Perambur, 2026–31TVK

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 10 May 2026

  • AC 12 · Chennai district
  • Sitting MLA · 17th Assembly (2026–31)
  • Born 22 June 1974
declared assets
₹648.86 cr
pending criminal cases
2
education
12th pass

Assets, cases and education as declared in the 2026 sworn affidavit to the Election Commission of India. The cases are pending, not convictions.

How did my village vote?Perambur seat page

Quick facts: C. Joseph Vijay

Sources: Election Commission of India (result, candidate profile) and the 2026 affidavit.

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Career

C. Joseph Vijay: the career, year by year

  • Assembly win
  • Office held
  • Chief Minister
  1. 22 Jun 1974

    Born in Madras (now Chennai) to film director S. A. Chandrasekaran and playback singer Shoba Chandrasekhar.

  2. 1984

    Child-actor debut in Vetri, his father's film.

  3. 1992

    Lead-role debut in Naalaiya Theerpu; leaves Loyola College to act full-time.

  4. 25 Aug 1999

    Marries Sangeetha Sornalingam in Chennai.

  5. 2009

    Founds Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, the fan organisation that became TVK's grassroots base.

  6. 2 Feb 2024

    Launches Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and becomes its president.

  7. Oct 2024

    First TVK conference.

  8. 2025

    Steps back from acting for full-time politics.

  9. 27 Sep 2025

    Karur tragedy: a crowd-crush at a TVK roadshow kills 41 people. Vijay announces ₹20 lakh compensation to each bereaved family and ₹2 lakh to the injured; the CBI investigates.

  10. 18 Mar 2026

    TVK rules out alliances and contests all 234 seats alone.

  11. 30 Mar 2026

    Files nominations from Perambur (AC 12) and Tiruchirappalli East (AC 141).

  12. 4 May 2026

    Won Perambur for the TVK (polling was on 23 April).

    See the full 2026 result
  13. 4 May 2026

    Counting day: TVK 108 · DMK 59 · AIADMK 47 · INC 5, a hung assembly. Vijay wins both his seats.

  14. 9 May 2026

    Governor Rajendra Arlekar invites Vijay to form the government after VCK and IUML join the TVK bloc.

  15. 10 May 2026

    Sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu with 10 ministers; gives up Tiruchirappalli East and keeps Perambur.

Profile

About C. Joseph Vijay

C. Joseph Vijay has been Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu since 10 May 2026, sworn in at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai. He also won Tiruchirappalli East (AC 141), by 27,416 votes, and gave that seat up on taking office. He founded Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam on 2 February 2024.

Party
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam
In government
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu · from 10 May 2026
Born
22 June 1974, Madras (now Chennai)
Profession
Politician — founder-president of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam; film actor until 2025
District
Chennai

Education

  • ~1979–1985Fathima Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Kodambakkam, ChennaiPrimary years (approximate; exact dates not on public record)
  • ~1985–1991Balalok Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Virugambakkam, ChennaiMiddle and higher secondary years (approximate)
  • 1991–1992Loyola College, Chennai — Bachelor's in Visual Communication, left in 1992 after the second year to act; lead-role debut in Naalaiya Theerpu the same year
  • 2007Honorary doctorate, Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute University, Chennai, for his work in Tamil cinema

Party & ideology

Vijay founded Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on 2 February 2024 from his fan organisation Vijay Makkal Iyakkam and is its president. TVK describes itself as centre-left, standing for "secular social justice" and drawing on Ambedkar, Periyar and Kamaraj; it calls the BJP its "ideological opponent" and the DMK its "political adversary". Before the election it opposed NEET and argued for returning education to the state list. In April 2026 TVK contested all 234 seats and won 108, the single largest party.

Family

Father: S. A. Chandrasekaran, film director. Mother: Shoba Chandrasekhar, playback singer. Spouse: Sangeetha Sornalingam, married 25 August 1999; she filed for divorce at the Chengalpattu Family Court in February 2026 (India TV, 27 Feb 2026). Children: Jason Sanjay (actor) and Dhivya Sasha.

The criminal cases

  • FIR 74/2026, K5 Peravallur Police Station, Chennai — 30 March 2026, during campaigning; alleged unlawful assembly and disobedience (BNS 189(2), 126(2), 223, 115(2)); pending, no charges framed.
  • FIR 108/2025, Koodakovil Police Station, Madurai — 21 August 2025, at a TVK event; alleged disobedience of a public servant's order; pending.

ECI affidavit — the detail

Asset classDeclared value
Bank deposits & FDs
across Indian Overseas Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and State Bank of India
 ~₹330 cr
Personal loans given out
incl. ₹20 cr to Kokilambal Education Trust and ₹20 cr to Green Leaf Infotech
 ~₹75.5 cr
Vehicles (luxury fleet)
BMW i7 · Toyota Lexus 350 · Toyota Vellfire
 ~₹13.5 cr
Jewellery & bullion
883 g gold · 3,132 g silver · 134.91 carats diamonds
 ~₹6.5 cr
Other movable
cash, equity, insurance, miscellaneous
 balance to subtotal
Subtotal — movable assets~₹426 cr
Residential properties
primary residence and other residential holdings
 ~₹117.6 cr
Commercial buildings
office and commercial real estate
 ~₹82.8 cr
Non-agricultural land
land parcels (non-agri use)
 ~₹22 cr
Subtotal — immovable assets~₹222.7 cr
Total declared assets~₹648.85 cr
Liabilities
primarily income-tax disputes
 ~₹7.6 cr

Annual income (FY 2024–25)

₹184.53 crore declared. Pending income-tax dues across multiple assessment years: ₹3.44 crore.

Spouse's assets

Sangeetha Sornalingam (homemaker per affidavit) — ~₹15.57 crore, including gold jewellery worth ~₹4.07 crore.

Source: Sworn ECI affidavit, 2026. myneta.info (Perambur) · The Federal · 9 May 2026 · BusinessToday · 7 May 2026

Annual income (FY 2024–25)

₹184.53 crore declared. Pending income-tax dues across several assessment years: ₹3.44 crore.

Spouse's assets

Sangeetha Sornalingam — ~₹15.57 crore, including gold jewellery worth ~₹4.07 crore.

Source: sworn ECI affidavit, 2026 — myneta.info · The Federal · BusinessToday

The Madras High Court notice

On 20 April 2026, the Madras High Court issued notice to Vijay, the ECI and the Income Tax Department on a plea alleging a ₹100 crore discrepancy between the affidavits filed for Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East, plus a delayed disclosure of two pending criminal cases. This is a civil writ proceeding, not a criminal case.

Source: LiveLaw · 21 April 2026 · The Statesman

Notable statements

“[The Citizenship Amendment Act 2019] would disrupt the social religious harmony of the nation.”

— Vijay, public statement, February 2019

Awards & recognition

  • Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor — for Kadhalukku Mariyadhai
  • Kalaimaamani Award (Tamil Nadu government cultural award) — 1998
  • Honorary doctorate — Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute University, 2007
  • Best International Actor — International Achievement Recognition Awards, 2018, for Mersal

Official channels

@actorvijay@actorvijay/actorvijaytvk.com.in (official party)vijay.com

Questions people ask

Who became Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after the 2026 election?

C. Joseph Vijay of the TVK, sworn in on 10 May 2026. Checked against the Government of Tamil Nadu's list of ministers on 26 September 2026.

How old is C. Joseph Vijay?

C. Joseph Vijay was born on 22 June 1974. The Election Commission's candidate profile records age 52 at filing for the April 2026 election.

Who is C. Joseph Vijay's wife?

The 2026 affidavit declares the spouse's profession as House Wife. Our record holds no other detail about the spouse.

Who is C. Joseph Vijay's father?

In the 2026 nomination, C. Joseph Vijay is declared as the son of S.A. Chandrasekaran.

What is C. Joseph Vijay's educational qualification?

12th pass, as declared in the 2026 affidavit. As written there: B.Sc. (Dropout), Loyola College, Chennai, University of Madras, 1992

Which party and constituency does C. Joseph Vijay belong to?

C. Joseph Vijay is the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) MLA for Perambur (AC 12, Chennai district), elected in April 2026.

How many votes did C. Joseph Vijay get?

1,20,365 votes (58.9% of those polled) in the April 2026 election, a margin of 53,715 votes over R. D. Shekar (DMK).

When was C. Joseph Vijay sworn in?

As Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 10 May 2026. As an MLA on 11 May 2026, when the 17th Assembly met for the first time.

Is C. Joseph Vijay one of the richest MLAs in Tamil Nadu?

C. Joseph Vijay ranks 2nd by declared assets among the 194 MLAs whose 2026 affidavit we have verified (₹648.86 cr). Full list: richest MLAs.

Which seat did Vijay keep after the 2026 election?

Perambur (AC 12) in Chennai. He won both Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East (AC 141) in April 2026 and gave up Tiruchirappalli East on taking office on 10 May 2026; that seat goes to a by-election (see the by-polls page for its status).

How much is C. Joseph Vijay's net worth?

His 2026 ECI affidavit declares ₹648.86 crore in total assets — about ₹426 crore movable (mostly bank deposits) and ₹222.7 crore immovable — and about ₹7.6 crore in liabilities. He declared ₹184.53 crore of income for FY 2024–25.

Does C. Joseph Vijay have any criminal cases?

His affidavit declares two pending cases, both from political events: FIR 74/2026 at K5 Peravallur, Chennai (March 2026) and FIR 108/2025 at Koodakovil, Madurai (August 2025). No charges have been framed and there are no convictions.

When did Vijay found TVK?

On 2 February 2024, from his fan organisation Vijay Makkal Iyakkam (founded 2009). TVK contested all 234 seats in 2026 and won 108.

What was the Karur tragedy?

On 27 September 2025 a crowd-crush at a TVK roadshow in Karur killed 41 people. Vijay announced ₹20 lakh compensation to each bereaved family and ₹2 lakh to the injured; the CBI took up the investigation.

Why did the Madras High Court issue notice to Vijay?

On 20 April 2026 it issued notice to Vijay, the ECI and the Income Tax Department on a plea alleging a ₹100 crore discrepancy between his Perambur and Tiruchirappalli East affidavits and a late disclosure of two criminal cases. It is a civil writ petition, not a criminal case.

Other MLAs from Chennai district

N. Marie WilsonDr.Radhakrishnan Nagar · TVKV. S. BabuKolathur · TVKAadhav ArjunaVillivakkam · TVKM. R. PallaviThiru-Vi-Ka-Nagar · TVKRajmohanEgmore · TVKK. V. Vijay DamuRoyapuram · TVKP. K. SekarbabuHarbour · DMKUdhayanidhi StalinChepauk-Thiruvallikeni · DMKJ. C. D. PrabhakarThousand Lights · TVKV. K. RamkumarAnna Nagar · TVKR. SabarinathanVirugampakkam · TVKM. Arul PrakasamSaidapet · TVKN. AnandThiyagarayanagar · TVKP. VenkataramananMylapore · TVKR. KumarVelachery · TVK

Page last changed 12 October 2026.

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Official contact

Contact details

Email
mlaperambur@tn.gov.in

As published by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly (members list), checked 20 October 2026.

Source: assembly.tn.gov.inReport an error