Actor Vijay’s fans plan to contest urban local body polls

The development comes a day after the state election commission on Wednesday announced that polls to the urban local bodies across Tamil Nadu will be held in a single phase on February 19.

Buoyed by their debut performance of winning over a hundred seats in rural body polls last year, Tamil actor Vijay’s fans will once again use the name Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam to contest the upcoming urban local body elections.

Vijay, who enjoys a tremendous following in the state, has been hinting at his entry into politics for a decade now. (HT Archives)

These moves are being seen as the actor testing the waters before taking the political plunge himself.The development comes a day after the state election commission on Wednesday announced that polls to the urban local bodies across Tamil Nadu will be held in a single phase on February 19. Counting of votes will be on February 22.

Previously, actor Vijay had allowed his fans to use his picture during poll campaigning when they were contesting as independent candidates. “This time also he has permitted us to contest in the name of Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, use his picture and use the same association flag.We will contest as independent candidates again,” said Bussy Anand, general secretary of the outfit.

Vijay, who enjoys a tremendous following in the state, has been hinting at his entry into politics for a decade now.

In 2021, his fans entered the fray under the Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam in the rural body polls held last October. They won 115 out of the 169 seats from where they contested—a 68% strike rate. Though the number is not big but in their debut election they managed to outdo actor Kamal Hassan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) and Seeman’s Naam Thamizhar Katchi (which emerged as the third largest party in the assembly elections) as they both drew a blank. The ruling DMK swept the rural body polls held in nine newly carved districts.

The upcoming urban body polls will again see a fight between the two Dravidian majors-the DMK and AIADMK.

Earlier this week, Vijay also received a relief from the Madras high court which expunged scathing remarks made against him by another single judge in the Rolls Royce case where he had sought exemption from paying entry tax. The actor paid the entry tax but had filed another petition seeking adverse comments against him to be expunged, which was granted this Tuesday.

BLURB Vijay, who enjoys a tremendous following in the state, has been hinting at his entry into politics for a decade now.