Actor and politician Vijay Tamilaja Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) looks set to end the duopoly of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in Tamil Nadu, leading in 109 of the 234 seats at 1:42 pm, marking a stunning electoral debut. The AIADMK led with 57 seats, the DMK with 49 seats, the Congress with four seats, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with one seat.
Vijay capitalized on his mass appeal as a film star, overcoming a lack of political experience, as people looked for a change and an alternative to the DMK and AIADMK. The TVK cadre is mostly drawn from Vijay’s fan clubs, which have millions of members across the state. The club members were shown as part of Vijay’s grassroots movement, ‘Vijay Makkal Eyakam’, involved in social service.
Fan clubs have ensured that Vijay’s political message reaches every home, a TVK leader said. “They worked with great enthusiasm for their star,” he said, attributing TVK’s stunning debut to the “young and relentless” staff who worked around the clock.
Vijay launched his political party in February 2024 and announced that he would contest the 2026 elections. In August 2024, Vijay unveiled his party’s two-colour flag: bright red at the top and bottom, and yellow in the middle with two elephants on either side of the ‘Vajai’ flower. The Tamil word “Vaagai” also means victory.
TVK’s slogan, “Pirappokkum Ella Uyirkum,” means “Everyone is equal by birth,” underscoring the party’s focus on equality, adding to its appeal. The party carefully selected candidates based on opinion polls on winnability across constituencies. In March, Vijay announced all 234 candidates, including 26 women, calling them his nominees and telling voters they would vote for him.
Party candidates were selected on the basis of popular connection. Vijay stressed that the 2026 elections were a battle between the “people’s alliance”, as he called it, and the ruling DMK party.
Well-known politician N Anand was among the first to join TVK. Former Indian Revenue Service officer KG Arunraj and political strategist John Arukisamy, who has worked with major political parties and provided political consultancy, were among those who followed suit.
Vijay criticized the DMK and AIADMK, presenting himself as more capable of delivering modern, secular and corruption-free governance. Vijay attacked the BJP, declaring it an ideological adversary and the DMK a political adversary.
He promised transparent and accountable governance, reiterated widespread opposition in Tamil Nadu to the national eligibility test for admission to medical colleges, and demanded that education be returned to the state’s concurrent list.
