Tamil actor Vijay addressed a mega rally of his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party in Vikravandi on Sunday, marking his formal launch into politics of the state, which has been ruled either by the DMK or the AIADMK for decades.
The 50-year-old actor, popular as Thalapathy among his fans, launched TVK in February and is expected to add a new dimension to Tamil Nadu politics in the 2026 assembly elections. The actor-turned-politician intends to field candidates for all 234 seats of the state in the upcoming assembly polls.
Vijay said TVK would not just be an alternative to existing political players but would be a primary force for change in Tamil Nadu. By jumping into politics, Vijay joins the ranks of celebrated actors turned politicians in Tamil Nadu including MG Ramachandran (MGR), Jayalalithaa, Vijayakanth and Kamal Haasan
The Tamil Nadu political landscape
For decades Tamil Nadu’s political landscape has been dominated by the two Dravidian parties – the DMK and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhgham (AIADMK). Together the alliances of the two parties hold about a three-fourths per cent vote share of Tamil Nadu. The remaining about one-fourth vote share, which is up for grabs, is what Vijay could be eyeing.
Since 1970’s when the AIADMK founder MGR made his party the principal adversary to the DMK, many players have attempted to disrupt Tamil Nadu’s revolving-door political set up.
Even the BJP, which has had remarkable success almost the entire country, has unable to break make inroads in Tamil Nadu. The saffron party-led NDA drew a blank in 2024 general elections polling 18.27 per cent of the votes and dislodging the AIADMK from the second slot in 12 out of the 39 constituencies.
Even the BJP, which has had remarkable success almost the entire country, has unable to break make inroads in Tamil Nadu. The saffron party-led NDA drew a blank in 2024 general elections polling 18.27 per cent of the votes and dislodging the AIADMK from the second slot in 12 out of the 39 constituencies.‘Captain’ Vijayakanth launched Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) in 2005. Vijayakanth’s impact on Tamil Nadu politics was, however, short-lived. In 2018, actor Kamal launched Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) as an alternative to the ‘corrupt’ DMK and AIADMK. Haasan failed to make any impact, either.
“MGR started with the Congress and then had a stint in the DMK, before forming his own party. Vijaykant was into philanthropy before he became a politician. Only stardom is not enough, there has to be an ideology too. We know what happened to Vijayakanth, and Haasan,” said a political analyst.