The timing is considered crucial since Tamil Nadu is scheduled to elect a new government in 2026. At the conference in Villupuram district, Vijay declared TVK’s political enemy would be a ‘self-serving family group looting Tamil Nadu under the cover of the Dravidian model. Further, he declared that the TVK believes all beings are equal by birth, which translates into the party being against all sectarian politics. Though the actor-turned-politician took no names, the message was not lost. In a way, he sounded the bugle against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and sought to draw distance from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is keen to secure a foothold in the state.
TVK plans to field candidates across all 234 assembly seats yet the founder kept the door open for possible alliances. Vijay, is attempting to create space in the political landscape of Tamil Nadu where the two Dravidian parties — the DMK and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) – dominated for the past five decades.
Another aspect of his calculations is to position himself in a state where political leadership was firmly associated with the film industry. Illustrious predecessors like the legendary CN Annadurai, former Chief Ministers M Karunanidhi, M G Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, Sivaji Ganesan, Vijaykanth, and Kamal Haasan, gained popularity through the industry and turned to politics. The Dravidian movement relied on the scripts and songs by Annadurai and Karunanidhi to further their message. Emerging from it was superstar MGR.
Positioning of TVK
At the Villupuram event (TVK’s first conference), the young actor ticked all the politically correct boxes. The TVK, he said, is committed to secular, social justice principles with Dravidam and Tamil nationalism as its two prisms. By invoking the names of social reformer Periyar E V Ramasamy, former Chief Ministers K Kamaraj, Annadurai, and B R Ambedkar, he showed his understanding of the social sensitivities of the people. In addition, he cited two women freedom fighters Rani Velu Nachiyar and Anjalai Ammal as those whose valour and selfless contribution inspire him.
Kamaraj of the Congress party is credited to have been the leader who introduced the mid-day meal to address the challenges of malnutrition and education through this unique social welfare model which in the 1990s turned into a national scheme. A popular leader, Annadurai founded the DMK and gained prominence during the language stir of the mid-Sixties, worked to reinforce Tamil pride, and renamed the State.
As for the principles of TVK, Vijay maintained these were equality; transcending religion, caste, ethnicity, language, and gender; promotion of egalitarian principles; democratic rights and oppose misuse of law by the State and the Centre; equal rights for all; and secular administration.
TVK’s priorities are aplenty. Enunciating these, the TVK president said measures will be taken to abolish the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test, restore education on the States list; two-language formula, with English serving as the link and Tamil the official language of courts; a corruption-free government; and a society free from the menace of drugs.
In a way, the TVK underscored what the party’s manifesto would contain. Interestingly, bringing education on the States’ list and cancellation of NEET, are issues the DMK government has been advocating while the rest are specific provisions with a strong regional and identity pull.
Vijay, who has a tremendous following as an actor, should be able to convert his fan clubs in this political journey and tap into the latent energy of the youth. Today the party claims a membership of five million. Vijay attempts to create a space for TVK as a third force, distinct from the two Dravidian parties. The DMK leadership is turning into a family affair and the AIADMK split between two former Chief Ministers and opponents OPS (O.Panneerselvam) and EPS (E. Palaniswami).
TVK is certainly not the first to make this attempt. In the past, there were efforts by the late Vijaykanth’s Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam that yielded limited results. Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam came a cropper in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 State Assembly polls. In 2024, he joined hands with I.N.D.I. Alliance and preferred to opt out of the elections.
There is little one can argue against the choice of its principles for a new party on the block. However, it is the plan of action that will require dexterity as TVK navigates through the political waters of Tamil Nadu. He had a way as an actor. Now it is the turn to don the new avatar of a politician.
—The author, K V Prasad, is an author and political analyst. The views expressed are personal.
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