Emboldened by the massive turnout at his two state conferences last month at Madurai and late last year at Villupuram, he is hitting the campaign trail as the 2026 assembly election is only a few months ahead.
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Positioning himself as the charismatic Dravidian alternative to the ruling DMK, actor-turned neta Vijay, president of the fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), is all set to launch his four-month long state-wide mass outreach from Trichy on Saturday this week.
Emboldened by the massive turnout at his two state conferences last month at Madurai and late last year at Villupuram, he is hitting the campaign trail as the 2026 assembly election is only a few months ahead. With the DMK under Chief Minister MK Stalin having activated its powerful election machinery and the Leader of the Opposition and AIADMK general secretary already on a whirlwind tour of the state, the TVK could not be seen lagging behind.
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In a petition submitted to the Tamil Nadu DGP on Tuesday, seeking police security to Vijay during the mass outreach, TVK general secretary Bussy Anand, had attached the itinerary of the actor-turned neta.
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Commencing from Trichy on Saturday, Vijay would address rallies in adjoining Perambalur and Ariyalur districts. Unlike a continuous tour with roadshows, it will be a week-end affair, on Saturdays except on one occasion when he would cover Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Tirupur and Erode on both Saturday and Sunday. The four-month-long campaign would conclude at Madurai on December 20.
According to observers he is eyeing the Dravidian political space by projecting himself as the alternative and appropriating Dravidian icons, ‘Periyar’ EV Ramasamy, Anna (CN Annadurai). Reiterating that the DMK is the political adversary of the TVK, he identifies the BJP as fascist and ideological enemy and asserts that the contest in 2026 is between the TVK and the DMK, which he charged as being corrupt and dynastic, bereft of ideology.
At the Madurai conference, he claimed the legacy of late AIADMK founder and matinee icon, MG Ramachandran (MGR) and Anna to drive home the point that as in 1967 and in 1977 there will be a political change in the state.
In 1967, the DMK under the party founder Anna, dethroned the Congress and captured power while in 1977, MGR, who launched the AIADMK after quitting the DMK in 1972, became Chief Minister. Since 1967 neither the Congress nor any other national party could dream of forming a government in the Dravidian heartland. And for his part, MGR, remained the Chief Minister till his death in 1987, keeping the DMK out of power.
And now, Vijay, considering himself as the agent of change, has attempted to lure the DMK’s allies with the bait of share in power, which has been an anathema to both the DMK and the AIADMK. But, so far none of the allies of the DMK have taken the bait, since he is untested. He has criticised the AIADMK joining the BJP-led NDA as an act of abject surrender and betrayal of Tamil Nadu’s interests.
Many surveys indicate growing support for Vijay, especially among the youth and first-time voters as well as women. He has a huge fan base and it is the fulcrum of TVK.
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