India, May 10 -- The rise of C Joseph Vijay, 51, known by his mononym Vijay, to the office of the chief minister (CM) in Chennai on Sunday marks a rupture in Tamil Nadu politics. Since CN Annadurai took the oath as CM in 1967, ending the Congress monopoly over power in Madras state, only politicians associated with the Dravidian Movement have occupied Fort St George, the seat of government in Tamil Nadu. And all of them ran single-party governments. The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government is set to change these patterns that have distinguished Tamil politics from the rest of India. A coalition government that includes a national party and a CM from a non-Dravidian outfit is as radical as the term can mean in Chennai.

The TVK is a t...