In a 1st, TN CM Vijay ditches his chair, sits with ministers in assembly

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay broke with a long-standing assembly convention on Thursday when he left his designated chair and took a seat alongside ministers in the front row during the afternoon session. It was unusual for a chief minister to occupy a seat meant for ministers, news agency PTI reported citing a source.Vijay, who normally sits in a separate chair positioned close to Speaker J C D Prabhakar, moved across the front row and sat between ministers K A Sengottaiyan, who is also the leader of the House, and Aadhav Arjuna.The move drew attention as chief ministers traditionally occupy a separate designated seat in the House, while ministers sit alongside them according to seniority.Members of the House occasionally change seats briefly to interact with colleagues. However, Vijay's move was notable because he shifted from his official chair and remained seated among the ministers.The chief minister had attended government programmes earlier in the day and arrived at the assembly for the later session.The 234-member Tamil Nadu assembly follows a conventional seating arrangement in which the chief minister occupies a designated chair near the Speaker, while ministers are seated separately in the front row.The opposition leaders sit across from the treasury benches, with their respective party members seated behind them.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.