A drone view of the first state conference of actor Vijay's party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), in Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. Inset: Actor Vijay
Credit: PTI Photos
Vikravandi (TN): Three lakh fans and supporters from across Tamil Nadu converged at the venue of the first state level conference of Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) on Sunday morning, hours before popular actor Vijay spells out his political agenda.
The national highway connecting Chennai with Tiruchirapalli was dotted with vans, buses, and two wheelers carrying Vijay fans holding the party’s red-yellow-green-blue flag with vaagai flower (syrissa or albizza odaritissma) in the middle and two elephants in both sides.
Cut outs and banners were erected on both sides of the highway with police finding it tough to manage the crowd. Traffic on the highway was diverted to ensure that people who go towards Tiruchirapalli aren’t inconvenienced much.
Vijay, 50, one of the highest paid actors in the country and the biggest grosser of the Tamil film industry, is the latest to enter politics in Tamil Nadu from the tinsel town.
Supporters on route to venue
Credit: DH Photo/ETB Sivapriyan
Though the conference began at 4 pm, the crowds began arriving at the conference since early Sunday with various estimates putting the number of people at the venue at noon at over 1 lakh.
Hundreds of vehicles from across the state are on the way to the venue with the crowd expected only to surge as the hours pass-by. The crowd was mix of men and women, who are in the age group of 20 to 30, shouting slogans in favour of Vijay and his call for ushering in a “fundamental change.”
“I am coming from Chennai and I am here to hear what Vijay has to offer for youth like us. We are very eager to listen to his speech,” Satheesh, a software engineer who is a fan of the actor, told DH.
Organisers said elaborate arrangements have been made to accommodate about 5 lakh people at the venue but complaints of lack of adequate supply of water and other facilities are already pouring in.
The venue’s entrance is a replica of the St. George Fort, the seat of power of the Tamil Nadu government, with Vijay in the middle, signifying the party’s goal of making it big in the 2026 assembly polls.
The venue was electrifying with fans singing to the tunes of Vijay’s popular songs.
Apart from the expectations among his fans, there is also a curiosity among people over Vijay’s political entry, the first star of his stature and with a massive fan following entering politics after Vijayakanth who made his political debut in 2005.
At 4 pm, Vijay hoisted the party flag and is expected to begin his speech about 6 pm, which is likely to last an hour.
Though Vijay announced his political debut on February 2 this year by declaring the name of his party, this is the first time that he will be delivering a political speech, which is expected to outline the party’s ideology and policies, besides the “grand plan” to take Tamil Nadu to a “new level.”
The media-shy actor is also likely to tell his supporters that he will bid adieu, albeit for now, to cinema from February 2025 by when the shooting for his last film is expected to be completed so that he could prepare the party battle-ready for the 2026 polls.
“Let us take a pledge to work for the people of Tamil Nadu through our successful policies. Let us take the first step towards our goal of 2026 (assembly polls),” Vijay had said in a letter to his fans on Friday.
A source said Vijay will outline a modern version of Dravidian ideology that includes Tamil pride and nationalism in his speech, which is likely to be an hour long. The actor, apart from making known his stand on many critical issues like language, NEET, and environment, will also unfurl the party’s red-yellow-green-blue flag.
The actor’s entry is sure to make the 2026 elections a crowded affair in Tamil Nadu with the state having moved towards a multi-cornered contest from a bi-polar race between the DMK and AIADMK. The 2026 elections will most probably be a five-cornered contest between DMK, AIADMK, BJP, NTK, and TVK.
Apart from taking on seniors like Chief Minister M K Stalin and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami, Vijay will also fight for space with relatively young leaders such as Udhayanidhi Stalin, and BJP state chief K Annamalai.
Vijay joins the long list of actors who have joined politics in Tamil Nadu starting from M G Ramachandran to J Jayalalithaa to Sivaji Ganesan to Vijayakanth, and Kamal Haasan.
While the first two made it big in politics like in the silver screen, the last three couldn’t register much success, though Vijayakanth briefly altered the bipolar politics in the state. Superstar Rajinikanth didn’t enter politics citing his ill-health after promising to launch a party and contest the 2021 elections.