TVK MLA Karuppiah appointed Tamil Nadu Assembly Protem Speaker

Chennai: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) MLA M.V. Karuppiah, a former AIADMK leader who joined Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s party earlier this year after being sidelined in his old party, has been appointed as the Pro-tem Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Sunday ahead of the first session of the newly elected House scheduled to convene on Monday.

The appointment comes after TVK President Vijay assumed office as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu following the party’s historic electoral victory.

The TVK emerged as the single largest party in the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly elections by winning 108 seats in the 234-member House.

The party subsequently formed the government with the support of the Congress, VCK, CPI, CPI(M), and the IUML, bringing an end to decades of political dominance by the DMK and AIADMK in the state.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Vijay at a grand ceremony held at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Sunday morning.

Nine Ministers were also sworn in alongside him as members of the new Cabinet.

Soon after taking charge as the Chief Minister, Vijay signed three key files, including the implementation of 200 units of free electricity for households, the formation of the “SingaPen” Special Task Force, and the establishment of a special anti-drug enforcement unit.

He later proceeded to the Secretariat and formally assumed charge of the administration.

Amid these developments, Karuppiah, the MLA from Cholavandan constituency, was named the Pro-tem Speaker who will administer the oath to newly elected MLAs and oversee the initial proceedings of the Assembly.

Karuppiah hails from Vavidamaruthur village near Alanganallur in Madurai district.

A veteran politician, he had been associated with the AIADMK since 1980 and held several organisational responsibilities, including serving as secretary of a fishermen’s union.

He first entered the Assembly in 2011 after contesting from the Cholavandan constituency as an AIADMK candidate and winning by a margin of more than 36,000 votes.

However, he was denied a party ticket in both the 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections.

Disappointed over being sidelined in the AIADMK, Karuppiah joined the TVK earlier this year after meeting senior leader K.A. Sengottaiyan.

Vijay later fielded him from the Cholavandan constituency in the 2026 Assembly polls, where he secured victory once again.

His appointment as Pro-tem Speaker is being seen as a significant recognition of his long political journey and recent transition into the TVK fold.

IANS