Vijay announced as TVK's CM candidate, party says actor to take call on alliance for 2026 elections

'This fight (between the TVK and DMK) will get stronger. We will win 100 percent. Be confident that a new era will usher in', Vijay said.

Chennai: Closing the alliance doors on AIADMK and BJP, albeit for now, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) on Wednesday announced that its party president, Vijay, will be the chief ministerial candidate for the 2026 assembly polls, which the actor-politician dubbed a “direct fight” between TVK and the ruling DMK.

In his first public appearance after 41 people died in a stampede at his rally in Karur, by addressing a Special General Council meeting at Mamallapuram near here, Vijay told his cadres that the September 27 incident was a “temporary setback” and asked them to be “battle-ready” to fight the DMK on the ground.

Vijay devoted his entire 14-minute speech to target Chief Minister M K Stalin on the Karur stampede and read operative portions from the Supreme Court verdict that transferred the case to the CBI to drive home his point that he was not at fault and that the government failed to provide adequate protection to his rally. Vijay did not mention the AIADMK or the BJP, even as he claimed he would enter the same Assembly from which Stalin made baseless and vengeful attacks on him.

“When nature and God in the form of the people of Tamil Nadu stand with us, who can stop our political activities? We will break all obstacles and stand firm with the people. We will be successful in our journey. I repeat, the 2026 contest is only between two parties – TVK and DMK,” Vijay said to rapturous applause from his party functionaries.

“This fight (between the TVK and DMK) will get stronger. We will win 100 percent. Be confident that a new era will usher in. We will emerge victorious and script history (in the 2026 polls),” the actor added. His speech came after one of the 12 resolutions passed at the General Council named him as the Chief Ministerial candidate and authorized him to decide on alliances.

Vijay’s remarks will come as a shock to the AIADMK and BJP, which have been appealing to the actor to join their alliance after the Karur incident.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami had in October commented that the first step for a formal alliance had been initiated after TVK flags were spotted at his public rallies. His senior colleagues went a step ahead and invited Vijay to join their alliance to save his “political future” and prevent attacks from the DMK dispensation.

By reiterating that Vijay will be the Chief Minister and projecting the 2026 contest between DMK and TVK, Vijay has sent out a message that he won’t be part of any alliance and instead will lead a political combine with parties that accept his leadership. Another message is that Vijay doesn’t view the Karur incident as a setback to his political journey and that’s why he stands firm in contesting independently.

If Vijay stays true to his strategy, the 2026 electoral contest will be four-cornered among DMK, AIADMK, TVK, and NTK.

Sources in TVK told DH that the party believes that contesting alone in the debut elections was the only option to assess the individual strength of Vijay. “There is no way a person with a huge popularity like Vijay can join an alliance and work under another politician. It will be a huge blow to his image. TVK will challenge both the DMK and AIADMK in 2026,” a source said.

In his speech, the actor-politician also asked Stalin to “understand” that people’s trust in him and his government has completely eroded and that the 2026 election results will reflect this “harsh reality.” He also said it was high time that the DMK prepared the statement it will release to concede defeat after elections, claiming that people have decided to elect the TVK to power.

Vijay said Stalin’s speech in the Assembly on October 15, which laid the blame on Vijay’s delayed arrival for the stampede, reeked of “malice” and vowed to enter the House to respond to those allegations. “I was in pain and distress. During the time of my silence and mourning, meaningless rumours and malicious political narratives were spread and forced upon us,” he added.