Why did Vijay's power-share bomb fizzle?

Vijay intended to break the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), whose constituents — the Congress and the VCK — have been aspiring to join the state government.

Chennai: At the formal launch of his party, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), in October 2024, actor-politician Vijay declared that he was “open to sharing power” with political parties that accepted his leadership. His offer was seen as irresistibly attractive for many parties that had failed in pushing the Dravidian majors, DMK and AIADMK, into a coalition government. 

Vijay made the announcement with the intention of breaking the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) whose constituents Congress and VCK have been aspiring to join the state government. 

About 16 months later, in February 2026, Vijay termed the announcement as a “political bomb” that had been creating ripples across alliances in Tamil Nadu as Congress and BJP began seeking a share in power with their senior partners DMK and AIADMK respectively. 

But the bomb ultimately did not wreck either of the two major alliances with the explosion only causing minor perception-based damage to the SPA. Congress not merely gave up its demand for a coalition government after Chief Minister M K Stalin ruled out such a possibility but also clinched the alliance deal for just three more seats compared to its 2021 figure of 25.

The actor-politician was genuinely interested in allying with the Congress -- he believed that the power share promise would lead to the party breaking its long-standing ties with the DMK. Many in Congress felt that allying with the TVK would breathe a new lease of life into the party, which has been out of power since 1967, but the decision makers in New Delhi did not want to upset the political equations nationally. 

Interestingly, the AIADMK made multiple efforts to ally with the TVK but Vijay is believed to have rejected the offer since he cannot be the Chief Ministerial face, which is non-negotiable for his supporters. 

To be fair, Vijay’s arrival on the political scene and his promise of a share in power did disrupt the political landscape with the possibility of a coalition government dominating the political discourse for months together. But the flip side was that this “unique” promise could not even persuade one party to ally with Vijay’s TVK. 

TVK is likely to contest independently as almost all major parties have joined one of the two major alliances. This does not discount the fact that TVK has gained huge traction among youngsters and internal surveys by various political parties place the youngest player on the bloc at above 18 per cent – in some places, the percentage reaches 22 and above.

The lack of his constant public appearances, an electorally untested support base, absence of a vibrant second-rung leadership in the TVK, and the gaps in its ground infrastructure despite tall claims are some of the reasons why political parties didn’t rally behind Vijay despite his announcement creating a huge political buzz. 

Vijay’s hibernation after the Karur tragedy when 41 people died in a stampede at his rally, when Jana Nayagan, his cinematic swansong was stuck with the Censor Board, and when he was summoned to New Delhi by the CBI in the stampede case further alienated him from political parties, which saw through his indecisiveness.

Through Congress’ decision not to ditch DMK, the actor may have also learned that personal relationships don’t always turn into political friendships -- Vijay and Rahul Gandhi have known each other since 2009. TVK also thought that Rahul could have given Vijay the further elevation he needed for his electoral debut.

Vijay being largely inaccessible even for his own team, along with his failure to discipline his cadre who dangerously trailed him on two-wheelers – five people were grievously injured on Wednesday – and his party distancing itself from actions of the fans are also factors that may have prevented political parties from allying with TVK. 

Prof Ramu Manivannan, who taught political science at the University of Madras, told DH that Vijay could not convince anyone to join him due to his shortcomings as a political leader. 

“He does not have political content and he doesn’t seem to someone whom one can trust with the seriousness of a leader. Alliance is a serious business for any political party and why should anyone trust him in his debut elections when he has not proven his mettle. He could not convince anyone because of his shortcomings,” he told DH.