Joseph Vijay Sworn In as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister

C. Joseph Vijay, the actor-turned-politician leading the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party, was sworn in as Tamil Nadu's 13th chief minister on Sunday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath to Vijay and nine cabinet ministers, including N. Anand, Aadhav Arjuna and K.A. Sengottaiyan, before thousands of supporters.

Vijay's party won 108 seats in the 234-member assembly in the April 23 elections, short of the 118 needed for a majority. Support from allies, including Congress with five seats, the Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist) with two seats each, and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and Indian Union Muslim League with two seats each, brought the coalition total to 120 seats.

The ceremony began with Vande Mataram, followed by the national anthem Jana Gana Mana and Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu, diverging from the traditional order of starting with the state invocation song. Communist Party of India state secretary M. Veerapandian criticized the sequence, saying Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu "must be accorded the foremost place in the protocol of government functions." He called for an explanation from...