“We need a change,” say people, especially in places such as Tiruchirapalli, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Coimbatore, Erode and Karur. When asked what sort of change they want, they say they have tried the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All-India Anna DMK (AIADMK), but are not satisfied with their work. “Why should we not give actor Vijay’s Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam a chance?” they ask.

key message

The big message ringing loud and clear ahead of the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu is that actor Vijay’s TVK is emerging as a game-changer. “TVK could decide if the DMK or the AIADMK will win in almost every constituency,” says an observer in Tiruchirapalli, who did not wish to be identified.

The surge in support, observers say, is rooted in the growing desire for political change. Many voters, especially the youth, feel the State has been dominated for far too long by the DMK and the AIADMK, which have alternated in power for over five decades since 1967. Some say the State has voted for one of the two Dravidian parties, but the same civic issues continue to plague urban and rural centres. 

TVK’s influence, though, seems to be more in the urban areas than in the rural ones, going by what locals say in Tiruchirapalli or Thanjavur. “In our Kothangudi village (Mayiladuthurai district), there are 606 votes. TVK will get 15, while AIADMK 230 and DMK 160,” says farmer D Bharani.

“We have 13 votes in our family. All will go to Vijay. In fact, all 935 votes in our area is TVK’s. We voted for the DMK last time,” says M Prakash at the Southern Grand Trunk Road junction in Tiruchirapalli. “We need a change from the governance of the two Dravidian parties,” says Ram, a 31-year-old cab driver in Coimbatore, who voted for the DMK in 2021 but now plans to support the TVK.

Shanthi, a 48-year-old restaurant worker in Coimbatore, echoed a similar sentiment. “We need an alternative,” she says, reflecting a broader mood among sections of voters. Balamurgan G, a small trader in Thiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur, said 12 of his family’s votes will go to the TVK. They had voted for the AIADMK in the last elections. Vinitha, a housewife in Virudhunagar’s Kammapatti, says her vote is for Vijay. The reason: She likes him.

A group of flower vendors at the Chhataram bus stand in Tiruchirapalli say they want a change and will vote for the TVK. “Our entire family attended his rally in this city,” says M Karthik, one of the vendors. The yearning for a change stems from the law and order situation and corruption witnessed during the current DMK regime. Voters are gathering in hordes to listen to the TVK candidates. For instance, in Virudhunagar constituency in southern Tamil Nadu, crowds could be seen gathering well ahead of TVK candidate SP Selvam’s arrival at Kammapatti. It does not matter if it is noon and the sun is blazing. “Even the older generation wants a change,” says Ramesh Bala in Thiruvanaikaval, Tiruchirapalli.

Youngsters, first-time voters, those in their mid-30s and women are all for Vijay. Some of them have even convinced elders in the family to give the new party a chance. Why vote for the same jaded parties? they ask. An IT professional, based in Bengaluru, has travelled to Chennai to vote in the T Nagar constituency. He is also persuading his parents to vote for the TVK.

“I will be shifting my votes from the DMK to TVK. My children want me to vote for the DMK. Moreover, I have always voted for the DMK, but I am unhappy with the current regime,” says an autorickshaw driver, C Saravanan, in Thanjavur. However, not everyone is convinced about the TVK’s immediate electoral impact. A textile worker in Tiruppur believes that while Vijay may not dramatically alter the outcome this time, he has already unsettled established players.

Rajalakshmi from Thiruvidaimaruthur village in Thanjavur says she will not succumb to pressure from her children and would vote for the AIADMK, a switch from the DMK last time. While the actor is an undeniable crowd puller, Vijay’s party leaders are finding it hard to connect with the masses. Observers from various constituencies in Chennai say the TVK candidates are relying heavily on Vijay’s star power to get them across the line instead of presenting a clear, actionable plan for their constituencies. Even prominent leaders from the party, such as Bussy Anand, have earned the ire of voters, with one resident suggesting that Anand is rarely seen in T Nagar, the constituency from where he is contesting. 

“We are unable to pinpoint in which way the wind is blowing because Vijay will be cutting both ways,” says R Soundararajan, a temple employee in Mannargudi. A former Congress MLA told businessline that at least 25 per cent of the minority community that Vijay belongs to will vote for the TVK. “The other minority community will back the DMK,” he says.

Syed Mohammed Shahjahan, an autodriver in Mayiladuthurai, says his community will vote en bloc for the DMK. On how his kids will vote, he says, “Most of them are abroad. Only one is here; who cares how he votes?” On the women folk, he says they would have to be “brainwashed”.

The Tiruchirapalli observer says a good number of women from Shahjahan’s community would probably vote for the National Democratic Alliance, given some of the reforms such as the Triple Talaq law. A BJP leader in Srirangam town in Tiruchirapalli says: “I have told people that I will give it in writing that the TVK will secure 14-18 per cent votes.”

The observer had a simple calculation on how the TVK will get votes. Tamil Nadu has 5.75 crore voters. New voters make up 12.5 lakh and at least 7 lakh will vote for the TVK. Among the 23 lakh voters under 30 years of age, at least 15 lakh could vote for Vijay’s party. “The percentage drops for TVK as the age rises, and we see him getting a little over one crore votes,” he says.If there is voter turnout of 80 per cent and more, Vijay and his fledgling TVK could garner at least 20 per cent, says the observer.

Though the TVK draws primarily on the strength of Vijay’s celebrity status, potential voters see in him an alternative to what they are used to over the past five decades.

(With inputs from Balaji R, T E Rajasimhan and Rohan Das)

Published on April 21, 2026