Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections 2026: How Gen-Z drove Vijay to victory

New Delhi: Even as Gen-Z made its presence felt across all the states during this poll season, in Tamil Nadu particularly, they are seen as a prime driver of the results. With actor Vijay’s stunning entry into the land of Dravidian politics, the state’s election is perhaps the first time that Gen-Z voters have successfully expressed themselves politically.

In several of his rallies, Vijay made appeals to Gen-Z voters. On April 23, he reached out to them directly and asked them to “whistle podu” or blow the whistle: “Gen Z, vote for the whistle symbol. Give me a chance. It must be a whistle revolution,” he appealed.

A political consultant working with the DMK said it seemed evident that several people wanted Vijay to be in the Opposition and emerge as a force in Tamil politics, but that Gen-Z voters put their weight behind them. “It was a wave; Senthil Balaji lost to an astrologer, and in another seat, an auto driver polled a lakh votes. Having said that, it is clear that this is an election where Gen-Z put their weight behind a leader, and they were successful in electing it,” the consultant said.

The numbers say so – in these elections, there were over 1.22 crore voters aged between 18 and 29, making up for 21.2 per cent of the electorate. Of these, 14.59 lakh were first-time voters added to the rolls for this election alone. Even as the other entrenched Dravidian giants like DMK and AIADMK ran tight campaigns and had work to show, Vijay made an appeal to his two key constituents – women and Gen-Z voters.

Across social media platforms, the rise of Gen-Z voters in the political thought process is apparent. They want to play decisive roles in elections and in the representations of the leaders they choose, says Bengaluru-based Srivatsa YB, who works with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

“Gen-Z wants more accountability and is more vocal; their issues are different – they care for the environment, they are affected by AI and are involved in social issues. And if they do not like a political player, they will mock and troll,” says Srivatsa.

As the generation is more vocal and angsty, their anti-establishment ethic could help the Opposition. “If 2014 was the election fought on social media, and 2024 an election fought on video, then 2029 will centre around Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha voters, as well as AI,” Srivatsa adds.

This is the first time Gen-Z has won an election in India, after the Nepal revolution. In several states, this term too, Gen-Z was a voice that could not be ignored. In Bengal, there were 1.37 lakh voters aged 18 to 29, with 5.23 lakh first-time voters. In Assam, those aged 18 to 39 years were 1.28 crore. In Assam, two Gen-Z candidates, one of whom drew strong reactions from chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, failed to win.