The Hindu reports: The victory of cinema superstar C. Joseph Vijay in the recent State Assembly election marks a watershed moment for politics in Tamil Nadu. Breaking with nearly 60 years of voting for one of only two major Dravidian parties is not just a signal of dissatisfaction but also an abiding quest for enlightened State leadership that recognises the contours of Tamil exceptionalism, and delivers the quality of governance required to meet that imperative.At the heart of Mr.
Vijay’s emphatic win, which resulted in his party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), cornering 108 out of the 234 seats in the Assembly, lies a disenchantment with the smug complacence of rule by both the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and, for a decade until 2021, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). Between them, the DMK and the AIADMK have alternated periodically in occupying power in Chennai to deliver on the promises of their Dravidian forebears C.N. Annadurai and Periyar E.V.
Background
Ramaswamy, which includes values such as state autonomy, freedom from Hindi imposition and other diktats of a distant New Delhi, and welfare policies including the noon-meal scheme and direct transfers to vulnerable groups. That a former late Chief Minister of the State owned sprawling properties in central London, and that even top global corporations seeking industrial permits admit to being asked for sizeable cash bribes to speed up their licence issues, reveals the institutionalised nature of this rent-seeking model.Would it then be improper to suggest that the TVK’s surprise win was the result of an electorate growing weary of this Faustian bargain struck with the ruling powers, where they gave with one hand and took with the other?Yet, there is more to be explained.
Key facts
- Joseph Vijay in the recent State Assembly election marks a watershed moment for politics in Tamil Nadu.
- Between them, the DMK and the AIADMK have alternated periodically in occupying power in Chennai to deliver on the promises of their Dravidian forebears C.N.
- Vijay presented the over 56 million electors of Tamil Nadu with a unique campaign style, modelled on viral social media marketing strategies.
What this means
Vijay presented the over 56 million electors of Tamil Nadu with a unique campaign style, modelled on viral social media marketing strategies. In doing so, he broke with the convention of old-school “offline” campaigning techniques including but not limited to widespread rallies across the State. Vijay appeared to eschew such public interactions in favour of online messaging on social media platforms such as Instagram, to the point where he courted controversy when, during one of his last campaign speeches, he exhorted young children to compel their parents to vote for the TVK’s ‘whistle’ symbol.Second, an air of vulnerability and an unspoken sense of victimhood appeared to build up around Mr.
Vijay as he pleaded innocence for the deadly stampede at the TVK rally in Karur in September 2025, in which at least 41 people died and many more were injured. This is despite the fact that the actor remained silent for three days following the incident, emerging later from his isolation without an apology for mismanaging a major public event organised by his party, and instead making veiled references to a conspiracy by the DMK-led government. The delay in the release of his film Jana Nayagan was similarly attributed to sinister forces seeking to sabotage Mr.
Originally reported by The Hindu. This story has been edited and re-presented by BRIC Team.
