{"id":356566,"date":"2025-09-16T09:46:06","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T04:16:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/?p=356566"},"modified":"2025-09-16T09:46:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T04:16:07","slug":"vijay-the-newbie-in-tamil-nadus-star-struck-politics-will-he-hurt-stalins-dmk-or-aiadmk-bjp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/vijay-the-newbie-in-tamil-nadus-star-struck-politics-will-he-hurt-stalins-dmk-or-aiadmk-bjp\/","title":{"rendered":"Vijay\u2014the newbie in\u00a0Tamil Nadu\u2019s star-struck politics, will he hurt Stalin’s DMK or AIADMK-BJP"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tamil Nadu\u2019s political drama has acquired a new cast member ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections; the southern state has a unique tradition of superstar politicians blending cinema and politics<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo: Vijay’s social media account<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tamil superstar Vijay, who started his 98-day Tamil Nadu tour from Trichy on September 13, is and remains the top-paid actor in  \u2018Kollywood\u2019 and possibly among the highest-paid film stars in the country. As he attempts to enter politics at the peak of his career, the question is will he be a top hero in his new calling as well.  As Vijay formally steps into politics with his newly launched party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), Tamil Nadu\u2019s political landscape is poised for interesting action ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. While his entry has energised a section of young voters, its remains to be seen how cadres of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and the ruling DMK and the rival AIADMK respond to him<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vijay\u2019s TVK has ruled out alliances with both BJP and AIADMK, positioning itself as a new option, focussing on youth, anti-corruption, and grassroots development. Basically he is trying to woo voters disillusioned with the two Dravidian heavyweights\u2014DMK and AIADMK\u2014with his mass appeal and a huge fan base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legendary actor Rajinikanth has openly backed Stalin, calling him his friend and \u201cemerging star of Indian politics\u201d. Stalin\u2019s government enjoys strong rural support due to his popular welfare schemes and a strong alliance with the Congress and Left. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analysts believe Vijay is more likely to hurt the AIADMK by dividing the opposition vote, especially in urban and semi-urban regions, pulling away young, neutral and fence-sitters. If he does manage to build organisational depth and statewide reach, then he can become a real threat to both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vijay\u2019s biggest challenge is lack of organisational depth and political experience. Without a structured cadre, clear ideological framework\/ policy roadmap, TVK risks being labelled another celebrity-driven experiment, a vote-spoiler. If it captures even eight-10 per cnet  it can play the role of a vote-cutter and a third force in these elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, recognising Vijay\u2019s appeal, the ruling DMK seems to be adjusting its strategy. The ruling party has increased its social media presence and youth outreach. Stalin lacks the cinematic charisma of past leaders like MGR,  Karunanidhi and J. Jayalaithaa so his focus is steady leadership and governance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to some, Vijay may actually end up\u00a0helping DMK in 2026 by splitting the anti-incumbent vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tamil Nadu and its superstar politicians<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tamil Nadu\u2019s political drama has acquired a new cast member ahead of the upcoming polls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The southern state has a unique tradition of superstar politicians blending cinema and politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past, legends like M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) and J. Jayalalithaa used their massive film popularity to build powerful political careers, both leading the AIADMK and serving as Chief Ministers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DMK, led by M. Karunanidhi, leveraged cinema\u2019s influence through scriptwriting and film personalities, shaping Dravidian politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vijay is following in their footsteps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tamil Nadu\u2019s political drama has acquired a new cast member ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections; the southern state has a unique tradition of superstar politicians blending cinema and politics Tamil superstar Vijay, who started his 98-day Tamil Nadu tour from Trichy on September 13, is and remains the top-paid actor in  \u2018Kollywood\u2019 and possibly among the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":187,"featured_media":356567,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1801,2534],"tags":[16985,17061,16987,19726],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356566"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/187"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=356566"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356566\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":356568,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356566\/revisions\/356568"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/356567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=356566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=356566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/rest-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=356566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}