Actor Vijay wins in Tamil Nadu against local parties, BJP remains marginalised
The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party won 108 of 234 seats, falling short of an absolute majority, while the BJP won only one seat, remaining weak in southern India. The success of Vijay, a Tamil Christian, appears to be linked to growing discontent with the duopoly of local parties and his strong capacity for popular mobilisation, but building alliances will be a challenge.
Chennai (AsiaNews) – The recent legislative elections held in four Indian states have reshaped the country's politics.
Besides the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) landslide victory in West Bengal, a result expected given the latest public opinion polls, the real surprise came from Tamil Nadu, where actor Chandrasekaran Joseph Vijay and his newly formed party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party, broke the dominance of the two main local Dravidian parties.
According to the results released yesterday, the TVK received 16 million votes, becoming the largest party in THE Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly with 108 seats out of 234, just 10 short of the absolute majority of 118 with 35 per cent of the vote.
This represents a severe blow to the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which was reduced to 59 seats. The outgoing chief minister, M. K. Stalin, even lost his own seat of Kolathur to the TVK candidate.
The All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) took only 47 seats, while the BJP won one, a sign that southern India continues to remain outside the reach of the Hindu ultranationalist party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In Kerala, the BJP also won only three seats, while the Indian National Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) defeated the Communist-led Left Democratic Front (LDF)
Despite the low numbers, this is the first time the ultranationalist party sends members to the Kerala Legislative Assembly, just as it is its first victory in West Bengal.
In Tamil Nadu, the result likely reflects growing electorate weariness over the duopoly of the DMK and AIADMK, the Dravidian parties, which until now had focused on promoting southern Indian languages and cultures against the dominance of Brahminic elites.
Despite the economic and social progress of recent years, a strong desire for change was strongly felt among young people, a situation exacerbated by the controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Review (SIR), which saw millions of names scrapped from voters’ rolls.
Known to fans as Thalapathy (commander), Vijay is an extremely popular figure in Tamil cinema.
The son of Christian director S.A. Chandrasekhar and Hindu singer Shoba Chandrasekhar, baptised and raised in a Christian environment, he established himself as a leading man in action films before moving on to films that also tackled political issues, such as inequality and corruption.
In February 2024, he founded the TVK, declaring his intention to leave filmmaking to devote himself to the sacred work for the sake of the people.
His latest film, Jana Nayagan (People's Leader), also became a de facto tool of electoral mobilisation. However, according to some Indian commentators, TVK's victory cannot be explained solely by the actor-turned-politician's popularity.
Over the years, Vijay transformed his fan clubs into a structured network, the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, engaged in social activities and community initiatives, establishing a direct relationship with voters in Tamil Nadu. In 2021, members of this network participated in local elections as independents, winning 115 of 169 seats.
This rise has not been without controversy. In September last year, in Karur, during an election rally where 10,000 people were expected, 27,000 showed up. Due to the narrow space (an 18-metre-wide road), 41 people died in a stampede, including 11 children.
People were trampled, fainted from dehydration, or were crushed when some sheet metal canopies collapsed under the weight of those seeking a better view to take photos or videos.
Three days later, Vijay released a video message in which he called the incident a conspiracy by the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government and maintained that he and his party "did not do anything wrong."
Vijay did not travel to Karur to meet the victims' families, who were instead invited a month later to a private resort in Chennai for a closed-door meeting.
Despite its opposition to the DMK, accused of running the state like a family business, Vijay's party also draws on Tamil identity. Although the actor sees the BJP as his main political enemy, he visited churches and temples in an attempt to attract the members of various religious groups.
During the election campaign, he paid particular attention to young people (18-39), who represent about 42 per cent of the electorate, with issues such as unemployment and the need for change, and to women, capturing support across caste lines.
At the same time, however, he was criticised for avoiding contact with the media, maintaining the image of an exclusive figure.
Other observers point to the absence of a detailed political programme, and the lack of a clear ideological identity distinct from that of the Dravidian parties, which, like the TVK, champion social justice, egalitarianism, secularism, and the promotion of local languages.
The former actor's first challenge will be to establish political alliances, given that his party failed to secure an absolute majority.
It also remains to be seen whether the consensus built on his charismatic figure and popular mobilisation will translate into effective government.
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