C Joseph Vijay, the 51-year-old actor-turned-politician, is all set to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu as he ends the six-decade-old rule of the two Dravidian parties — the incumbent Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
As of 21:50, TVK was leading in 107 seats, still short of the 118 seats required to form the government in the 234-member House. DMK, with 60 seats, was in second spot, followed by AIADMK with 47 seats.
This leaves TVK with the option to approach the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parties headed by the AIADMK. It can also rope in DMK’s alliance partners the Congress, CPI, CPI(M) and the IUML.
Interestingly, TVK did have conversations with Congress before the campaign began in full swing. While Rahul Gandhi has congratulated them on the victory and called it a youth mandate, it is unclear if it will support TVK.
‘Will form govt’
However, TVK’s campaign secretary and winning candidate from Villivakkam Aadhav Arjuna told newspersons on Monday evening that TVK will form the government on its own as counting is dismissing queries on the party not being able to reach majority. “The victory is for the women and youngsters who voted in large numbers for the party,” he said.
In a big and heartening shift for Tamil Nadu, where cash for votes is perhaps an open secret, Vijay has managed to win largely based on organic support of his fans who voted for change. This is despite a campaign that was muted because of the Karur stampede and logistical challenges he faced in addressing rallies.
On Monday morning, a grey sky over Chennai seemed almost symbolic, pointing to a tectonic political shift in Tamil Nadu.
The incumbent DMK, whose rising sun symbol has long dominated the State’s political imagery, could not gauge or stop the juggernaut of actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay’s dramatic rise, especially among youngsters. While there was a strong anti-incumbency wave against the DMK, sections of the AIADMK’s youth base also appeared to back the TVK, sources said.
The TVK tsunami did not spare Chief Minister M K Stalin, who lost from Kolathur in Chennai at the hands of TVK’s VS Babu by a margin of over 8,795 votes. His son Udhayanidhi Stalin managed to win from Chepauk-Tiruvallikkeni after trailing in the initial rounds.
The huge crowds that throned Vijay’s rallies were grossly underestimated by the two Dravidian parties, who believed it would not translate into votes. However, Vijay and his supporters proved them wrong.
“This is a verdict without direction. People have voted for a leader and party without ideology and vision for the State. People have sought change without knowing what that change means,” said socio-political analyst Ramu Manivannan
The new political scenario in Tamil Nadu hints at a possible generational shift. While the next generation of voters have still chosen to lean on the charisma and star power of a movie star, it remains to be seen if their desire for change is met by the political upstart TVK.
Published on May 4, 2026