Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 10 (ANI): Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Seenivasa Sethupathy, who won the Tiruppattur Assembly seat by one vote against DMK's candidate KR Periyakaruppan, credited his victory to party chief Vijay, saying the mandate was entirely driven by support for him.

Sethupathy's victory marks the end of Periyakaruppan's 20-year dominance in the constituency.

Reacting to his win, Sethupathy said, 'I got 83,000 votes. All because of my Thalapathy, Vijay, only. Not because of the power of one vote. Every vote was only for Thalapathy...'

On the significance of a single MLA in the formation of government, which has been seen in the past day's scenario, Sethupathy highlighted the importance of voter trust and pledged to work in line with party leadership.

Thanking his voters, he said, 'Thank my voters, especially my Tiruppattur constituency people. They are trusting not me, they are trusting our Thalapathy Vijay also... I follow my CM routes; I will do my best.'

Meanwhile, earlier today, TVK chief Vijay was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and took office at the secretariat located in the historic Fort George in Chennai.

After being sworn in, Vijay emphasised that his government would mark the 'new beginning' and era of 'real, secular and social justice.'

Addressing a gathering at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium here, Vijay stressed that he would 'repay the debt' of the people after leaving behind his cinema career, adding that he doesn't come from a 'royal family' but portrays himself as a common family member of the Tamil Nadu public.

'I know very well about normal and common people's mind and how life is like for someone; I was born to an ordinary assistant director. I do not come from a royal family. I am just like your son, your daughter, your elder brother, or your younger brother--that is how I see myself. And it was because you saw me that way that you gave me such a great place in cinema,' said Vijay.

'Now, leaving all of that behind and entering politics to repay my debt of gratitude to you, you embraced me with so much love and affection, saying, 'We are here for you, Vijay. We will take care of everything.' At this moment, I must say this: throughout this journey and this process, I faced countless hardships and humiliations. But despite all that, you too endured difficulties and insults for my sake. You never cared about any of it; you treated my pain as your own and stood beside me throughout. Today, when I say, 'I, Joseph Vijay....' you have made it a reality. I truly do not know what to say,' he added.

Vijay, often referred to as the 'Thalapathy', showed a crowd-pulling ability in the election rallies, which many compared to actor-turned-politician and former CM MG Ramachandran. While Tamil Nadu has had a long history of actors entering and conquering politics, the State awaited another star to step up in the line after Captain Vijayakanth.

He has also embraced his Christian identity while being outspoken about secular politics.

Although the TVK was launched in 2024, he has been looked at as a social worker and has not been apolitical, given his films, which dealt with drug menace, corruption and other socio-political issues. While there has been speculation of him entering politics since 2009, Vijay has involved himself in social work.

In the 2026 elections, he won two seats, Perambur and Trichy East, but later resigned from the Trichy East Constituency. (ANI)