DMK’s Christmas bash to shield party’s Christian vote bank from Vijay

Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin and his cabinet colleagues will attend a grand Christmas celebration organised by a DMK MLA in Tirunelveli on December 20, in a move aimed at thwarting the potential threat from newcomer politician Vijay to its “loyal” Christian vote bank.

This marks the first time the DMK has organized a Christmas event on such a scale, courtesy ‘Inigo’ Irudayaraj, the legislator from Tiruchi (West), who has invited thousands of people from across the state. 

The location – Tirunelveli – is also significant because the district and its neighbouring districts, such as Kanyakumari and Thoothukudi, are home to a significant Christian population that has largely stood by the DMK electorally, especially since the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

With Vijay being a Christian – his birth certificate name is C Joseph Vijay, the DMK believes a portion of the community, especially young voters, could shift to Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) in the 2026 assembly polls , prompting this major outreach.

The minority population in Tamil Nadu is a significant 12 per cent -- Christians (6.12%) and Muslims (5.86%) -- and the two communities stood like a rock behind the DMK-Congress alliance in the 2019, 2021, and 2024 elections, contributing majorly to their successive victories. 

Though a section of the minorities were voting for the AIADMK, they moved away from it after the party entered into an alliance with the BJP in 2019 leaving them with no option other than the DMK. 

With Vijay terming BJP as his “ideological enemy”, political analysts say there is a possibility of at least a section of minority voters ditching the DMK and choosing the TVK. Vijay’s party has also been actively involved with Christian outfits and churches across the state to drum up support for him.

The December 20 event, which will be attended by leaders from the DMK, its allies, and many Christian outfits, is likely to send a political message to the community , since it is a known fact that churches in the state play an integral role in how Christians vote.

 “There is a need to reach out to the Christian community and the Christmas celebration is just one attempt. The minorities have been a great support to the DMK and we don’t want to lose them. Though we believe that not many would side with TVK in this election, we don’t want to take any chances,” a senior DMK leader told DH.

He added that the DMK’s Christian outreach has been consistent and there is nothing new. Ahead of the 2024 polls, the DMK government extended the Chief Minister’s breakfast schemes to aided schools, a significant number of which are owned by Christian institutions or individuals.

Senior journalist R Bhagwan Singh said that although he does not believe Christians will overwhelmingly vote for Vijay, the DMK won’t leave anything to chance since the 2026 election will be a “testing ground” for many factors. 

“We don’t know how an ordinary voter will respond to an untested actor with a huge fan base at the hustings. It is very important to woo every segment during elections and that is what the DMK is doing. Minorities have repeatedly shown their loyalty to the DMK**, which** has also reciprocated their support,” he added.