For decades, Tamil Nadu politics looked like a pendulum swinging predictably between the AIADMK and the DMK. But C Joseph Vijay disrupted that familiar rhythm with his thumping entry into politics. Vijay took oath as chief minister of Tamil Nadu on May 10, 2026. One hundred days later, his government has released an expansive report card titled ‘100 Days of Governance: A Government for Generations’, listing the decisions, schemes and investments that have defined its opening months.Interestingly, when the actor-turned-politician steered his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to power in May this year, observers questioned: will an actor be able to run a government?Vijay had an answer ready. “Yes, I am an actor, but I don’t act in politics,” he had said during a very high-octane campaigning across the state. The curiosity, therefore, was not just about whether Vijay could govern, but about what a Vijay government would actually look like once the rallies were over, the manifesto was on the shelf and everyday administration began.The early picture is welfare-heavy: free electricity, farm-loan relief, gold assistance schemes, laptops, school support and rural welfare programmes. At the same time, Vijay has tried to build an investment-friendly narrative around the government, pointing to Rs 1 lakh crore in investment commitments and a push for faster approvals and more transparent administration.Dedicated task forces for women, anti-narcotics units and the closure of hundreds of liquor shops near schools, temples and bus stands have all found place in the government’s 100-day report card.Let’s break it down.
Welfare first
Vijay had gone into the election with a wide-ranging set of welfare promises, and some of the most visible ones have been among the first to be implemented.On his first day in office, the Vijay government formed a dedicated Singappen Special Task Force for women’s safety. Formally launched under his direct supervision, the all-women security wing has a sanctioned strength of 2,545 personnel and is tasked with tackling crimes against women.His government also introduced the Thaaimaaman Thanga Mothiram Scheme, allocating Rs 560 crore to provide a one-gram gold ring to newborns delivered in government hospitals. Alongside it is the Annan’s Seer Scheme, for which Rs 812 crore has been set aside to provide eligible brides with an eight-gram gold coin and a silk saree.The government has also launched the Vettri Magalir Goat Rearing Scheme, under which five goats or sheep are to be provided to disadvantaged women and transgender persons, with the stated aim of supporting rural livelihoods and self-reliance.
Vijay’s first 100 days
Education and housing
Education has received a sizeable share of attention too. The government says the Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme has been expanded to benefit an additional 15.14 lakh students in Classes VI-VIII across 15,414 schools.Rs 2,000 crore has been earmarked for laptops for college students, while Class XI students in government and government-aided schools are to receive branded bicycles along with helmets and water bottles.Housing has also been folded into the broader welfare push, with Rs 3,500 crore allocated for the Vettri Housing Scheme, aimed at replacing informal and inadequate housing in urban and rural areas.
Farmers and employment opportunities
Farmers have also been another major focus of the first 100 days. Vijay, while speaking in the assembly, announced that the government had waived agricultural loans up to Rs 50,000 within 15 days of taking office in May. This was later expanded to provide full waivers for loans up to Rs 75,000, and a Rs 35,000 waiver for loans exceeding Rs 75,000, benefiting over 14.44 lakh farmers.Also read: Tamil Nadu CM Vijay raises farmers’ crop loan waiver amountThe government has also announced a Rs 6,000 crore crop-loan waiver, along with incentives of Rs 4,000 per tonne for sugarcane and Rs 2,750 per quintal for paddy.Employment and skill development have also featured prominently in the Vijay’s report card. Under the Vettri Skill Training Scheme, the government says 12 lakh students and one lakh youth have undergone skill-development training. The Vettri 150 Scheme promises 150 days of guaranteed employment.At the same time, the government has tried to focus on everyday civic delivery through TN-VETTRI, under which Rs 6,000 crore is to be allocated annually for improving water supply, solid-waste management, sanitation and rural connectivity.
Drugs, liquor and the law-and-order test
Drugs and liquor were among the issues Vijay repeatedly raised during the campaign. To curb narcotics and gang activity, the government has constituted 65 special task forces called the ‘STING’. This network is tasked with dismantling syndicate supply chains, clearing drug networks near educational institutions, and tracking organized gang activity. It has also shut 717 state-run TASMAC liquor shops located near schools, temples and bus stands.These are among the those decisions where the government will face close scrutiny, especially because law and order is not something that can be measured through the number of task forces created or shops closed alone.
Free power: An early manifesto promise delivered
Free electricity was among the first promises that Vijay-led TVK government delivered soon after assuming office. His government announced 200 units of free power every two months for domestic consumers using up to 500 units.At the same time, free power adds to the spending commitments the new government has taken on in its opening months. How Vijay balances these welfare promises with the state’s finances will become clearer only as the government moves beyond its first few months.
Investment push
If welfare has been one side of Vijay’s first 100 days, the other has been an attempt to show that Tamil Nadu’s investment story remains on his government’s agenda.The government says the Vettri Tamil Nadu Investment Conclave 2026 secured investment commitments worth Rs 1 lakh crore. For Vijay, investment is particularly important. His government has announced a long list of subsidies and social schemes, and the investment push helps him underline that Tamil Nadu is also looking to attract capital and generate employment opportunities.The bigger test, of course, will come later: how much of those commitments actually translate into projects.
Karur still casts a shadow
Vijay’s first 100 days have also unfolded under the shadow of the Karur stampede, the tragedy at a TVK rally that claimed lives of 41 people and injured more than 100.Since taking office, his government has sought to provide government jobs to the next of kin of those who died in the stampede. The move became the subject of a legal battle after the Madras high court quashed the appointments, before the Supreme Court stayed that order earlier this month, allowing the state to go ahead with them for now.How his government handles the rehabilitation of the affected families in the middle of an investigation will therefore remain closely watched.
The bigger test begins now
While the first hundred days can be enough to show what the priorities of the government but it is too soon to tell how these initiatives have worked. Vijay has also tried to make transparency part of his governance policy, with measures such as speedier plan approvals and faceless property registration.
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But here too, the real test will be whether citizens actually experience a government that is faster, cleaner and easier to deal with.All these measures have now moved to a tougher phase which is the implementation. The government will have to show that welfare schemes actually reach beneficiaries, investment commitments turn into projects and jobs, and the focus on women’s safety, drugs and liquor produces visible results on the ground. There is also the question of how comfortably the state can carry a growing bill alongside its welfare commitments.For now, the first 100 days have defined Vijay’s priorities. What remains unanswered is whether the pace of announcements can be matched by delivery over the next few hundred days.
