LIVE: KPCC leaders meet Rahul; Vijay to meet AIADMK MLAs; Himanta takes oath

Watch LIVE as Himanta Biswa Sarma takes oath as the Assam chief minister for the second consecutive term in Guwahati. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and top NDA leaders attend the grand swearing-in ceremony.

In a setback for the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), Madras High Court has restrained Tirupattur MLA R Seenivasa Sethupathi from participating in Tamil Nadu Assembly proceedings after DMK leader Periakaruppan’s plea over one vote loss.

Periyakaruppan, the DMK candidate from Tirupattur in the April 23 Assembly elections, has challenged the result that declared Srinivasa Sethupathi the winner by a margin of just one vote.

According to the official results, Sethupathi polled 83,365 votes, while Periyakaruppan secured 83,364 votes. In his petition, the former minister sought a recount of votes and requested an interim order restraining Sethupathi from taking the oath as an MLA until the matter is decided.

Senior CPI(M) leader and LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan on Tuesday (May 12) said there would be no delay in deciding the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, unlike the ongoing uncertainty in the Congress-led UDF over the chief ministerial post.

He said the CPI(M) Politburo has entrusted the party's state unit with taking a final decision on the issue.

"There is no dispute regarding the selection of the Opposition leader. There is no chance of it getting prolonged or becoming a contentious issue. The CPI(M) will decide at the earliest," Ramakrishnan told the media here.

Taking a swipe at the Congress, he said criticism would have been justified had the chief minister been decided and the Opposition leader's post remained unresolved.

"The LDF has no difficulty in deciding the Opposition leader," he said.

Addressing legislators after taking office, CM Joseph Vijay laid out his government’s agenda focused on governance, welfare measures, youth empowerment and transparency, while calling for cooperation beyond political divisions.

His maiden address sparked strong reactions from both the treasury and Opposition benches, with supporters describing it as a landmark moment for the TVK-led government. The Assembly session also unfolded against the backdrop of changing political equations and unrest within the Opposition camp.

Victory in West Bengal and his articulation of pungent Hindutva vocabulary enable him to take space, ironically as among the more ‘hardline’ BJP leaders. This reality must be accepted even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not stepping down in the near future. Only unforeseen developments before 2029 can lead to a vacancy.

Even though the question “After Modi who?” is not discussed in private or public within the BJP, every leader and significant cadre weighs options endlessly.

Himanta Biswa Sarma shared the list of leaders who will take oath as Ministers in the new Assam government and announced that BJP MLA Ranjit Kumar Das would be the NDA candidate for Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly.

The proposed council of ministers includes Rameswar Teli, Atul Bora, Charan Boro and Ajanta Neog, among others.

TVK legislator JCD Prabhakar on Tuesday (May 12) was unanimously elected as Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker.

Prabhakar's nomination was proposed by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, and as his was the only nomination received for the Speaker's post, he was unanimously elected unopposed, Pro-Tem Speaker M V Karuppaiah said when the Assembly was convened for the day to elect the Speaker.

Following the election, Karuppaiah announced that his role as Pro-Tem Speaker had ended. He invited the Leader of the House K A Sengottaiyan, and the Leader of the Opposition, Udhayanidhi Stalin, to escort the newly elected Speaker to his chair, as per the tradition followed in the House. And from today, Prabhakar would conduct the proceedings in the House, he added.

Immediately after assuming his chair, Prabhakar conducted the election for the deputy speaker. He informed that TVK MLA from Thuraiyur, M Ravisankar, was the lone member to file his nomination for the deputy speaker's post, and his nomination was proposed by Sengottaiyan. In the absence of any contest, Ravishankar has been elected unopposed, he said.

Chief Minister Vijay leads the first sitting of the newly elected Tamil Nadu Assembly after TVK’s historic victory. The session marks the formal beginning of the new government in the state.

The rift within the AIADMK took a new turn on Tuesday with a faction deciding to support the TVK government. CV Shanmugam said, “(AIADMK chief) Edappadi Palaniswami presented some proposals to us. So far, we have been doing politics by opposing the DMK. But Palaniswami said we should support the same DMK that we have been opposing all along, and help him become the chief minister with DMK’s support. We told him this was wrong. Palaniswami did not accept our view. Therefore, we are walking out. Palaniswami should convene the General Council meeting, where we can discuss the reasons for our defeat. Change is essential.”

However, SP Velumani made it clear that “journalists should not spread the news that AIADMK has split. We will not be the cause for the breakup of AIADMK. Edappadi Palaniswami should cooperate to help AIADMK recover from its continuous electoral defeats”.

SP Velumani and Shanmugam faction of AIADMK extends support to TVK government.