Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam founder C Joseph Vijay campaigning in T Nagar in support of N Anand on Wednesday | Photo Credit: JOTHI RAMALINGAM B

Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) party founder and actor C Joseph Vijay, who is contesting in the Trichy (East) constituency along with Perambur in Chennai, faces a tough task in this central Tamil Nadu region in his bid to enter the Tamil Nadu legislative Assembly.

Making his task tough is the current legislator, Inigo S Irudayaraj. Other important candidates in the fray are K Rajasekaran of the AIADMK and V Krishnasamy of the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK). Giving hope for Vijay in his attempt are the youth and others below 40 years of age. “I have been voting for the DMK till now. This time, I will vote for Vijay,” said D Joseph, a cab driver in the city.

“Irudayaraj is an influential candidate. He will try his best and will leave no stone unturned to retain the seat,” said M Selvam, a local in the constituency. An observer said it will be a toss-up between Vijay and Irudayaraj, with the AIADMK likely to end up behind both. “Vijay and Irudayaraj hail from the same community, which has a strong presence in the constituency. Anti-incumbency sentiments and people’s yearning for a change could help Vijay,” said the observer, who did not wish to be identified.

However, reports over the past couple of days indicate that Irudayaraj has begun to use his influence to get voters to back him. Flower vendors M Karthik, M Ramesh, S Dharmadurai and P Madhiazhagam say they are looking for an alternative to the DMK and AIADMK. “Why not give Vijay a try? He is new and promises reform,” they say in unison.

Another observer, N Muralidharan, who at one time headed the AIADMK’s auto union, said Irudayaraaj has not done much for the constituency. With his community divided due to Vijay’s entry, it could even give the AIADMK an edge. “There are two issues that can roll in the AIADMK’s favour. One, the split in the community could help it. Two, the damage to the DMK will be more with many young voters swaying towards Vijay,” said a BJP local leader.

chief ministerial candidate

The observer said Vijay is being portrayed as a chief ministerial candidate. The voters in the constituency, particularly those in his community, would not want to let him down. “They wouldn’t want Vijay to end up losing. Vijay will also benefit from the anti-incumbent sentiments,” he said. 

Locals said some in the top DMK leadership visited the city this week and told party cadres that they will have to ensure the victory of party candidates “at any cost”. “DMK wields financial influence that can be used to sway voters,” said Satheesh Kumar, a cab driver. However, some locals say they would not be swayed by such influences.  

“What if I change my mind after being influenced?” asked a local shopkeeper. A few of the locals who voted for the DMK say they will switch over this time to Vijay. That way, it looks like the DMK has to lose more than the AIADMK. 

However, DMK supporters such as P Pazhani and D Bharathi say their party will cruise through. “Our party’s policies will help. We have done a lot for women and youth. It should help,” they say. AIADMK candidate Rajasekaran, an educationist, will try to draw support from his trader community. National Democratic Alliance (NDA) sources said they have been asked to campaign more to try and ensure Rajasekaran’s win.

In 2021, Irudayaraj won 54.5 per cent of the 1.73 lakh votes polled. After Special Intensive Revision, Trichy (East) has about 2.25 voters, down about 30,000 from 2021.  The Trichy (East) constituency was newly formed in 2011, carved out of Trichy-I and Trichy-II. AIADMK won in 2011 with Manoharan, who is now contesting from Srirangam on the outskirts, garnering nearly 55 per cent of the 1.51 lakh votes polled. In 2016, N Natarajan retained the seat for AIADMK and went on to become the minister for tourism. Also known as Vellamandi Natarajan, he got 47.8 per cent of the votes to emerge as the winner.

“The task could be tough, but it still is not uphill,” says the observer

Published on April 16, 2026