Vijay Meets Ex-Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Days After Big Poll Win

In a significant political outreach on just his second day as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Joseph Vijay on Monday met outgoing chief minister MK Stalin at the latter's Cenotaph Road house in Chennai, in a meeting loaded with both symbolism and political messaging ahead of the crucial vote of confidence in the assembly.

The meeting came shortly after the oath-taking of the newly elected MLAs in the assembly. Sporting a black suit and white shirt, Vijay drove to Stalin's home where he was received warmly by Stalin's son and outgoing deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, who greeted him with a hug before ushering him inside the house.

In visuals shared later, Vijay was seen leaving his shoes outside before entering the home - a gesture that drew attention online. The new chief minister presented Stalin with a purple flower bouquet and honoured him by draping a purple shawl over his shoulders. Stalin, in turn, honoured Vijay with a yellow shawl. The three leaders were later seen engaged in a cordial conversation.

Sharing pictures from the meeting, Stalin described Vijay's visit as an act of "political civility". Though Stalin had skipped Vijay's swearing-in ceremony, he said he had conveyed his "loving greetings and suggestions" to the new chief minister during the interaction.

But beyond the optics of courtesy, the meeting also carries significant political undertones.

Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government has already marked a historic political shift in Tamil Nadu, ushering in the state's first non-Dravidian government in 59 years and its first coalition government in 74 years.

மாண்புமிகு தமிழ்நாடு முதலமைச்சராகப் பொறுப்பேற்றுள்ள திரு. விஜய் அவர்கள் அரசியல் நாகரிகத்துடன் என்னைச் சந்தித்து வாழ்த்து பெற்றார்.

அவருக்கு என் அன்புநிறை வாழ்த்துகளையும், ஆலோசனைகளையும் வழங்கினேன்.@TVKVijayHQ @Udhaystalin pic.twitter.com/aTmmqpoPtP

— M.K.Stalin - தமிழ்நாட்டை தலைகுனிய விடமாட்டேன் (@mkstalin) May 11, 2026

TVK emerged as the single largest party in the assembly with 108 seats but remains short of a majority. While the Congress snapped ties with the DMK to support TVK, the additional support crucial for government formation has come from parties that continue to remain part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance.

The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Indian Union Muslim League - with two seats each - have extended support to Vijay while maintaining that they continue to be constituents of the DMK-led alliance.

That makes Vijay's outreach to Stalin politically significant ahead of the trust vote his government must face in the assembly before the 13th.

The new chief minister has also been actively reaching out across the political spectrum. On Monday, Vijay met Vaiko, Anbumani Ramadoss and Seeman.

A day earlier, Vijay had met K Veeramani before paying tributes at the memorial of rationalist icon Periyar EV Ramasamy -  a move widely interpreted as an attempt to firmly position his government within the Dravidian and rationalist political tradition of Tamil Nadu.