The first session of the newly elected Tamil Nadu Assembly began at Fort St George in Chennai on Monday with Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay taking oath as an MLA for the first time after leading the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) to power in the Assembly elections, even as political attention shifted to his surprise meeting with predecessor MK Stalin ahead of the crucial floor test later this week.The oath-taking ceremony of the 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly commenced under Pro-tem Speaker MV Karuppaiah, who praised Vijay’s leadership and election victory before administering the oath to newly elected members.Vijay, who won from the Perambur constituency, was the first MLA to take oath around 9.40 am after submitting his certificate of election to Assembly Secretary K Srinivasan. Several ministers, including N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, KG Arunraj, KA Sengottaiyan, P Venkataramanan, R Nirmalkumar, Rajmohan and TK Prabhu, also took oath during the proceedings.DMK legislature party leader Udhayanidhi Stalin, former Chief Ministers Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam were among the prominent leaders sworn in on Monday.The session also witnessed a few dramatic moments inside the Assembly. TVK minister S Keerthana was initially denied permission to take oath after she failed to produce her certificate of election, a mandatory requirement for swearing-in. She later returned with the document and completed the process.Similarly, TVK MLA R Kumar accidentally submitted another legislator’s certificate before being stopped by Assembly officials and asked to produce the correct document. Another TVK MLA, RS Murughan, was interrupted during the oath-taking after he failed to specify whether he was affirming solemnly or taking oath in the name of God.Panrutti AIADMK MLA K Mohan turned emotional during the proceedings and paid tribute to late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa inside the Assembly hall.The current strength of the Tamil Nadu Assembly stands at 233 after Vijay vacated the Tiruchirappalli East seat while retaining Perambur.Later in the day, Vijay paid a visit to Stalin at the DMK chief’s Alwarpet residence in Chennai in what government sources described as a “courtesy call”. Udhayanidhi Stalin was also present during the meeting.The meeting assumes significance as it came barely a day after Vijay sharply criticised the previous DMK regime over the state’s alleged Rs 10 lakh crore debt burden and remarks on “multiple power centres” in government. Stalin had publicly responded to Vijay’s criticism on Jattvibeday.Following the meeting with Stalin, Vijay also met MDMK founder Vaiko.