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Tamil Nadu: Vijay’s TVK leads in 109 of 234 seats, threatens DMK-AIADMK duopoly
Vijay tapped into 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
Actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) appears 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, as it led in 109 of 234 seats at 1:42pm, marking a stunning electoral debut. The AIADMK was ahead on 57 seats, DMK 49, Congress four, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) one.
Vijay tapped into 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. TVK’s cadre is mostly drawn from the Vijay fan clubs, which have millions of members across the state. The club members have been projected as part of Vijay’s people’s movement, “Vijay Makkal Iyakkam,” involved in social service.
A TVK leader said the fan clubs ensured that Vijay’s political message reached every home. “They worked with a lot of enthusiasm for their star,” he said, attributing the TVK’s stunning debut to the “young, unrelenting” cadre that 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-coloured flag: bright red at the top and bottom, and yellow in the middle with two elephants on either side of the flower ‘Vaagai’. The Tamil word ‘Vaagai’ also means victory.
TVK’s tagline, ‘Pirappokkum Ella Uyirkum’ means “all are equal by birth,” underscoring the party’s focus on equality, adding to its appeal. The party chose candidates carefully based on surveys about winnability across constituencies. In March, Vijay announced all 234 candidates, including 26 women, calling them his nominees and telling voters they would be voting for him.
The party’s nominees were chosen based on the grassroots connection. Vijay maintained that the 2026 polls were a fight between “people’s alliance” as he termed it, and the ruling DMK.
Well-known politician N Anand was among the first to join TVK. Former Indian Revenue Service officer K G Arunraj and political strategist John Arokiyasamy, who has worked with major political parties and provided political consultancy, were among those who followed suit
Vijay slammed DMK and AIADMK, projecting himself as more capable of delivering modern, secular, and corruption-free governance. Vijay attacked the BJP, declaring it an ideological opponent and the DMK as a political adversary.
He promised a transparent and accountable administration, echoed widespread opposition in Tamil Nadu to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for admissions to medical colleges, and demanded that education be moved back to the state list from the concurrent list.
