Vijay's Madurai rally: From silver screen to political stage, 'Thalapathi' bets on long haul in politics

As the actor-politician takes dais for the second state-level conference of his fledgling party, he is likely to shed light on the strategy for 2026 Assembly polls.

Madurai: After the launch of his Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) in October 2024 before a sea of supporters, actor-politician Vijay has made hardly half a dozen public appearances -- most of them quite brief. Yet his entry has disrupted the political scene in Tamil Nadu, with much of the discussion centered around his moves.

On Thursday (August 21), when the 51-year-old takes the dais at the much-awaited second state-level conference of his fledgling party, he will not only seek to consolidate his support base, but also shed light on the electoral strategy he plans to adopt in the run-up to the crucial Assembly elections scheduled for April-May 2026.

Having declared the DMK and BJP as “no-go zones” for himself -- identifying them as TVK’s “political and ideological enemies” respectively -- and announcing himself as the Chief Minister candidate, Vijay has also closed the door on the AIADMK, though he is yet to publicly criticize the Edappadi K Palaniswami-led party.

With his offer to share power with allies -- seen as an attempt to break the DMK alliance -- finding little favor, Vijay appears to have no option but to contest alone, at least in the 2026 elections.

He has tried to reach out to the Congress -- being one of the first leaders to condemn Rahul Gandhi’s arrest during the vote chori campaign -- but the national party continues to cold-shoulder him, as it remains focused on strengthening the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, of which the DMK is an integral part.

Vijay’s entry is one of the key reasons both Dravidian majors -- DMK and AIADMK -- have launched their election campaigns earlier than usual. They are now keenly awaiting TVK’s Madurai conference, looking to Vijay’s speech for insights into his strategies and the political course he intends to chart.

It is believed that Chief Minister M K Stalin and Palaniswami wanted to cover the entire state once before Vijay began his fieldwork of visiting all districts, likely starting next month.

The DMK has undertaken a massive exercise to reach two crore households statewide and has hired multiple political consulting firms, from I-PAC to Showtime Consultancy, to draft election strategies.

One reason both parties take Vijay seriously is internal surveys that put TVK’s support at no less than 15 per cent, and higher in some regions.

While the DMK has adopted a cautious approach by not directly engaging with or responding to Vijay’s jibes, the AIADMK at one point actively wooed him and the TVK. However, Vijay shut that door by stipulating that anyone who accepts him as leader can join the alliance.

Vijay’s statements and political moves over the past year suggest one reason he appears “soft” towards the AIADMK is his aim to capture a significant chunk of the party’s votes and emerge as the prime force against the DMK. 

The anti-DMK vote is a large bloc in Tamil Nadu, traditionally going en masse to the AIADMK due to its strident opposition to the DMK during the eras of M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa. Vijay wants to break into this segment.

Besides targeting first-time and young voters and the anti-DMK vote, the actor is also trying to siphon off some anti-BJP votes and minority support, which have largely gone to the DMK since 2019. However, political observers note that his attacks on the saffron party are not as strong as those on the DMK.

Political analyst Maalan Narayanan said Vijay will try to mobilise his fans and consolidate his support base at the conference as he makes a concerted push to position himself as the alternative to both Dravidian parties.

“He has to pep up his cadres as elections are just about eight months away. Now that his film commitments are over, he has to be out in the field meeting people. He has no excuses left. For now, it looks like Vijay will go it alone in the 2026 Assembly polls,” Narayanan told DH.

It seems Vijay has taken the political plunge realising it will be a long haul. If he wins some seats and his party polls an impressive percentage of votes, the TVK could emerge as an alternative force. 

“Such a scenario cannot be ruled out. But everything depends on how Vijay performs in 2026. It also matters how the DMK alliance performs,” he added.