A day after taking oath, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Monday sprung a surprise by calling DMK president and former Chief Minister MK Stalin, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Vaiko, Naam Tamilar Katchi founder Seeman and Pattali Makkal Katchi leader Anbumani Ramadoss.
Meanwhile, leaders of other States of India and Sri Lanka greeted Mr. Vijay.
Former Chief Minister MK Stalin hands over a shawl to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, in the presence of Opposition Leader Udhayanidhi Stalin on May 11, 2026 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Taking to social media, Stalin said Vijay welcomed him with “political decency” and received his wishes. “I conveyed my wishes and suggestions to him,” Stalin said. Opposition leader Udhayanidhi Stalin was also present at the meeting. Mr. Vijay and Mr. Stalin exchanged shawls and Mr. Udhayanidhi presented him with a book.
Mr. Vaiko, along with his son and MP Durai Vaiko, received Mr. Vijay at his residence. Mr. Vaiko said The Hindu: “He is the first Chief Minister to visit my residence. Even Mr. Stalin only visited when he was leader of the opposition.” In a video clip, Mr. Durai Vaiko was seen introducing Mr. Vijay to some as “those who voted for the whistle!”
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay with Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Vaiko and his son MP Durai Vaiko at his residence in Chennai on May 11, 2026 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Mr. Vijay also visited Mr. Anbumani, in the presence of Dharmapuri MLA Sowmiya Anbumani, and Mr. Seeman, who presented him with a fruit basket and a book.
Meanwhile, many leaders greeted the new Chief Minister, who took oath on Sunday. Besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Ministers of State L. Murugan and Ramdas Athwale, Allied leaders including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby extended their greetings, an official statement said.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Sri Lanka Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa also greeted the new Chief Minister.
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay with PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss and Dharmapuri MLA Sowmiya Anbumani at his residence in Chennai on May 11, 2026 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Union Chief Minister Rajesh Pilot extended their greetings to Mr. Vijay.
former Kerala minister Ramesh Chennithala; MPs Kamal Haasan, Vijay Vasanth, Karti P. Chidambaram, Mahua Moitra (Trinamool Congress) and Abhishek Singhvi (Congress); former BJP state president K. Annamalai; DMDK general secretary Premallatha Vijayakant; Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi; AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran; AIPTMMK general secretary VK Sasikala, Congress leader Girish Chodankar; and BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran also greeted Mr. Vijay.
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay hands over a shawl to Naam Tamilar Katchi founder Seeman at his residence in Chennai on May 11, 2026 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
ZOHO founder Sridhar Vembu, sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik, Odisha MLA Sofia Firdous, Tamilaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader John Pandian, Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi leader Paarivendhar, Puthiya Needhi Katchi leader AC Shanmugam, Tamilaga Vazhvurimai Katchi leader T. Velmurugan, Congress Committee president Andhra Pradesh, YS Sharmila, Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra, BJP functionary Khushbu Sundar and actor Prakash Raj were others who extended their greetings to Mr. Vijay. The Chief Minister thanked them all.
Published – May 11, 2026 07:30 pm IST