India, May 11 -- C Joseph Vijay was sworn in as Tamil Nadu chief minister at Chennai's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday amid rapturous applause from thousands of fans and supporters, as his fledgling political outfit formally took power in the state.

"It is a fresh, new beginning. A new era of real, secular, social justice starts...," Vijay said in a speech marked by dramatic flourish after the oath-taking ceremony. He also made three announcements - providing 200 units of free electricity, constituting a task force for women's safety and setting up another to tackle the drug menace.

Vijay was joined at the ceremony by family members, friends, senior police and administrative officials, and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, whose p...