Real Life Jana Nayagan | TVK's sensational climax twist in Tamil Nadu

“CM sir, if you want to take revenge, take it out on me: leave them alone” — these were the words of C Joseph Vijay in a video released in the aftermath of the Karur stampede in September, 2025. For a campaign that was increasingly gaining ground support, the world speculated that this was the end of Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). About eight months later, Vijay is close to becoming Tamil Nadu’s next chief minister.

This turnaround in fortunes is not random — it is the real-time effect of an extremely curated on-screen persona taking over the political and public imagination of Tamil Nadu. While many criticised Vijay's statement as irresponsible, the political astuteness in centring the incident as an attack on himself, the man who left the ‘peak of his acting career’ to be the ‘saviour’ of the people, has been rendered undeniable today.

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Since then, Vijay turned the TVK's campaign into a relentless barrage of sensationalist attacks, more on the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) than on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — the TVK’s stated ideological adversary — as evidenced through remarks like ‘Stalin Uncle’ and ‘Theeya Sakthi Thimuka’ (DMK, the evil power). Borrowing Ambedkar, Periyar, and Anjalai Ammal as ideologues, Vijay offered an alternative to the OBC-dominated Dravidian politics, focusing more on the voices of the marginalised by the Dravidian movement, especially the Dalit sections.

Vijay is well on the MGR path, with the consistent utilisation of fans associations in charity initiatives and ground-level goodwill building, as well as the relentless projection of political intentions and ideology through his movies (even a movie where he singlehandedly takes on the ruling party to take electoral power and a car with the numberplate ‘TNCM2026’).

The party effectively utilised the Gen Z factor through a sharp and sustained social media campaign. Vijay is often compared to NTR and Pawan Kalyan in Andhra Pradesh, similar charismatic figures in distinct political environments. While NTR stormed to power as chief minister with a sensational majority within nine months of founding his party, Kalyan followed a more gradual path, extending support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) before contesting and eventually securing a strong sweep in alliance.

In a surprise shift, the role of manifestos has diminished in this election, with stardom and emotional connection taking centre stage. The six-decade-long Dravidian domination of Tamil Nadu has been challenged this time, as the TVK has successfully positioned itself as a credible alternative with the emotional appeal of 'Ore Oru Vaippu Kudunga' (give just one chance). But, for someone who has maintained a consistent anti-BJP stance through his statements on Jallikkattu and speeches on audio release functions of his movies, Vijay has been surprisingly quiet on the BJP and its coalition partner, the AIADMK, throughout this campaign, especially after September. The aggressive targeting of the DMK, combined with anti-incumbency, split votes in ways that benefited both the AIADMK and the TVK.

In the event of a hung Assembly, it is reasonable to expect a coalition between the TVK and the AIADMK. How the TVK accommodates the BJP is uncertain, given Vijay’s troubled relationship with the political behemoth. Should the TVK take the support of the BJP to form the government, it would mark the unexpected entry of the BJP into Tamil Nadu politics, an opening the party has long awaited. The TVK risks being blamed for officially paving the way for the BJP’s entry into the state. Alternatively, an alignment with the AIADMK could allow the TVK to stay closer to its stated ideology and independent identity.

As Tamil Nadu votes towards alternative politics, it is, however, prudent to think of this result as less a product of anti-incumbency or bad governance than sensationalist, media-driven politics, and ideological fatigue. Surely, the M K Stalin-led government has made significant strides in infrastructural and economic development in the last five years, with the state recording double-digit economic development rates and an individual GDP that surpassed Pakistan.

As Vijay prowls at the foothills of political royalty, it remains to be seen how the TVK's disruptive, populist politics translate into sustainable, quality governance. In the absence of coherent public policy beyond welfare schemes and handouts, how the TVK navigates state administration with a candidate list composed of former BJP and AIADMK members and a coalition of regional and national heavyweights, remains to be seen.

Akhil Joseph Mathew is a New Delhi-based lawyer. X: @chengismo. Shaik Sharief is a Research Scholar, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.