India, May 10 -- Tamil Nadu governor Rajendra Arlekar on Saturday invited C Joseph Vijay to form the state government after he handed over letters of support from a clutch of parties that helped his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) swing past the majority mark in the assembly, bringing down the curtain on a protracted government formation saga and ushering in a new political era for the province.

The actor-turned-politician will take oath at 10am on Sunday and become the first chief minister to not hail from either of the two Dravidian majors since Tamil Nadu was formed in 1967.

Vijay now has the support of 120 MLAs in the 234-member assembly, edging past the 118-seat majority mark after the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Indian...