On May 12, 2026, J.C.D. Prabhakar, representing the Thousand Lights constituency in Chennai and a member of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the 17th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. M. Ravisankar, the legislator from Thuraiyur constituency, was also elected unanimously as the Deputy Speaker. The elections were conducted without any other nominations. Pro-tem Speaker M.V. Karuppaiah announced Prabhakar's election, after which both the Leader of the House, K.A. Sengottaiyan, and the Leader of the Opposition, Udhayanidhi Stalin, escorted him to the Chair. During his inaugural speech, Prabhakar reflected on his connections with former Chief Ministers M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, and expressed his admiration for TVK president C. Joseph Vijay, whom he referred to as a “living MGR.” He assured that his actions in the Assembly would be non-partisan, quoting from various holy texts. Several legislators from different parties also congratulated the newly elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker.