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Tamil Nadu: ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay and TVK’s stunning performance in poll debut
Vijay’s stunning performance in his first election means that he successfully turned his energetic fanbase – his rallies attracted huge crowds -- into votes
“If I have decided (on a subject) for once, I, myself, will not listen to my words anymore” (oru vatti mudivu pannitena, en pechai naanae ketka mattan)was Tamil actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay’s famous dialogue in the blockbuster hit ‘Pokkiri’.
This popular dialogue echoed among fans when the superstar made his political debut, launching Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) two years ago.
Two years later, Vijay’s stunning performance in his firstelection means he successfully turned his energetic fanbase – his rallies attracted huge crowds -- into votes. As of 7 pm on Monday evening, TVK had won39 seats and was leading in 69 of the 234-seat strong Tamil Nadu assembly.
Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, popularly known as “Thalapathy(meaning Commander)” was born in 1974 in Chennai to the yesteryearactor-director S A Chandrasekhar (80) and Shoba Chandrasekhar (69). Having completed his school education in Kodambakkam, Vijay enrolled for a visual communication degree at Loyola College but later dropped out to pursue his interest in films.
Vijay was seen as a child artist in the 1984 Tamil movie ‘Vetri’, a film directed by hisfather. Vijay’s first major film was ‘Naalaiya Theerpu’ in 1992, which cemented his position in the Tamil film industry, then largely dominated by superstarsRajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. While this film did not perform as expected at the box office, Vijay bagged an award. The actor’s first major breakthrough was the blockbuster hit Poove Unakkaga in 1996directed by Vikraman. Some of his notable films include ‘Love Today’,’Kadhalukku Mariyadhai’, ‘Thulladha Manamum Thullum,’ ‘Kushi’, ‘Priyamaanavale’and ‘Friends’. Vijay’s fan base gradually grew as he became a prominent andbankable star of the Tamil film industry.
Besides his versatile acting skills, Vijay emerged as a prolific singer, havingsung for various famous composers including legendary music director Ilayarajaand double Oscar winner A R Rahman. After taking the plunge into politics,Vijay announced that he would stop acting in movies and ‘Jana Nayagan’ would be his last film as an actor.
Vijay’spolitical journey
Setting the ball rolling for his political journey in 2009, Vijay changed his fan clubassociation to Vijay Makkal Iyakkam (Vijay People’s Movement) as a socialwelfare organisation and is said to have supported the AIADMK in the 2011 assembly elections, which the party won.
Over a decade later, in 2022, members of his fan club contested in local body elections and secured 115 seats out of 169. Vijay launched TVK on February2, 2024, expressing his decision to contest the 2026 Assembly polls. Making an official announcement via a social media post, Vijay, then 51, said it was his long-term intention and desire to help the people of Tamil Nadu and the Tamilvcommunity who gave him name and fame.
Over 80000 people attended his first political rally on October 27, 2024 in Vikravandi about 160 km from Chennai. During the rally, Vijay said his party will promote secular ideologies and support social justice, egalitarianism andthe two-language policy.
Vijay described the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as it’s ideological opponent and the DravidaMunnetra Kazhagam (DMK) as the ‘evil force’ because of its alleged corruption and dynastic politics. A year later, in April 2025, Vijay held a meeting withparty functionaries in Coimbatore, where he stated his commitment to establish a corruption-free, transparent, and accountable government.
Vijay continued to attack the BJP and the DMK at a rally in Madurai in August 2025 while praising former actor-turned politicians M G Ramachandran and Vijaykanth.
During his public meetings, Vijay had stressed that the 2026 assembly elections will be a fight between the ‘DMK’ and the ‘TVK’, maintaining it as a two-way battle. He also called for the retrieval of the island of Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka during his campaign. Set back after rally stampede Vijay’s political ambition seemingly took a hit after 41 people died in a stampede at a TVK rally in Karur last year.
The way he conducted himself after the accident was criticised as he left the venue soon after the stampede was triggered and only shared a video later, expressing condolences without meeting the family of the deceased. His party announced ₹20 lakh as relief to the victims. While the Tamil Nadu government formed a one-member commission to probe the incident, a CBI probe was announced and Vijay had to personallyappear at the agency headquarters in Delhi.
On March 29, Vijay formally declared the candidates for all the 234 assembly segments and kick-started his campaign from March 30 after filinghis nominations. Vijay contested in two constituencies -- Tiruchirappalli Eastand Perambur in north Chennai. The party received a shot in the arm after veteran politician and nine-time MLA K A Sengottaiyan, switched from AIADMK to join the TVK and was made the party’s chief coordinator
