Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026 | All the Vijay's men: Meet the strategists who powered TVK's big win

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) scripted a historic win in the April 23 assembly elections by winning 108 of the 234 assembly seats in its debut elections. This was nothing short of a miracle as TVK was formally launched only on October 27, 2024, and the party rode to power in less than two years. 

TVK chief C Joseph Vijay has been eyeing political entry for the past decade, and he tested water by asking members of his fans club, Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, to contest local body elections as independents in 2022. Since then, he has been working towards his political plunge. 

 Here are five key players who advised Vijay and shaped his political future:

 Jhon Arokiasamy: 

 Jhon joined Vijay’s team as his political strategist in 2023. Since then, Jhon has played an integral part in building Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) from the scratch and drafting strategies. It was Jhon who advised Vijay to subscribe to both ideologies prevalent in Tamil Nadu -- Dravidian and Tamil nationalism – and continues to be draft his speeches. Jhon is believed to have told Vijay from day one that the cult around him would help him become the Chief Minister in his debut elections and stood firm that TVK should contest alone, not ally with anyone, especially BJP. 

 ‘Bussy’ N Anand:

 Anand has been the closest aide of Vijay for the past 15 years. Having been a Congress MLA from Bussy constituency in Puducherry from 2006-2011, Anand is an ardent Vijay fan and headed the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, TVK’s pre-cursor. 

 A man who always had his ears to the ground, Anand knows almost every functionary of the VMI and calls them by their name. He transformed the VMI into TVK and played a key role in candidate selection. Anand is the no. 2 in the TVK and continues to enjoy Vijay’s trust. 

 Dr K G Arunraj:

 Dr Arunraj took voluntary retirement as IRS officer in 2025 to join TVK. He was appointed as general secretary (propaganda) immediately and was part of the key decision making team. Arunraj was also the chairman of the manifesto committee of TVK and is a close aide of Vijay. When the party faced its biggest crisis post Karur stampede, Vijay entrusted the job of meeting the families of victims to Arunraj, who conveyed the actor-politician’s message to them. He is likely to be allotted a key ministry in the TVK government. 

 Aadhav Arjuna: 

 Son-in-law of lottery baron Santiago Martin, Aadhav Arjuna joined the TVK in February 2025 after he was expelled from VCK, a prominent Dalit party. Highly ambitious, Aadhav Arjuna emerged as one of the key political strategists for Vijay along with Arokiasamy, especially very close to the elections. Aadhav is one of the trusted aides of Vijay and has been instrumental in the TVK chief’s victory from Perambur assembly constituency. Aadhav emerged as the key DMK baiter in the party.

 K A Sengottaiyan:

 Sengottaiyan joined TVK in November 2025 after he was expelled from AIADMK following a 52 year association. Vijay recognized his political experience and his administrative experience and asked him to help refine the party’s communication with media. An old AIADMK hand, Sengottaiyan brought fresh energy and experience to TVK and helped the party organize public meetings and events without much trouble. His organizational skills helped the TVK correct its mistake post Karur stampede.