On poll day, Vijays will step out of every house, says TVK Chief

Marking the 3rdanniversary of his political party Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), actor-politician Vijay addressed cadre on Monday, (Feb 2), at his party office in Panaiyur, near Chennai. His party is to make its electoral debut in the Tamil Nadu state elections that are due in less than four months.

Expressing confidence about his party's electoral prospects, he said that on the polling day, Vijays and Vijis (his male and female fans and supporters) will step out of every home and queue up at the polling booth to vote for their party. These remarks are widely seen as Vijay's counter to the view that his popularity as an actor and massive fan following need not translate into votes. He also likened his fans and followers to blood relatives, adding that they cannot be bought by other parties.

With barely four months to go for the polls, Vijay's TVK party has not yet formed any alliance, despite it having made public that it is willing to share power with potential allies. However, there have been signals from sections of the Congress party about a potential tie-up with Vijay's TVK. This comes at a time when the Congress has not agreed to a final seat-sharing deal with longtime ally DMK. Though he isn't a representative of the TVK, Vijay's father had recently made remarks about how Vijay's TVK could revive the Congress party's political fortunes.

Throughout his campaign, Vijay has been unsparing in his criticism of Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK, and Chief Minister MK Stalin. Continuing his attacks against the DMK, Vijay said half-jokingly that even DMK Chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, would prefer to vote for the TVK. Notably, in recent times, Vijay has not been as critical of the BJP and AIADMK, which comprise the opposition alliance in Tamil Nadu.

Speaking about the emerging poll landscape in the state, Vijay said that it is being referred to as a three-cornered fight or a four-cornered fight. "There is the TVK(our party), then the DMK alliance, and then the alliance of the BJP and others. Irrespective of how many forces emerge, only TVK can defeat the ruling DMK," he added.

In connection with his final film Jana Nayagan's release, Vijay has been facing challenges due to a censor certificate not being granted by the Indian Government's CBFC. Despite multiple Court hearings, there is no closure in the issue, which further prolongs the uncertainty over the film's release. Jana Nayagan's markers were targeting a release on Jan 9th, ahead of the Pongal festive week. Congress had alleged that the BJP was attempting to block the Jana Nayagan film release and attacking Tamil culture by using the Government machinery.

DMK too had voiced out in favour of Vijay's film release. While parties such as the Congress and DMK voiced out in support of Vijay's film, interestingly, the actor-politician has maintained silence over his own high-profile film and the impact of its delayed release.