The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party, led by actor-turned-politician 'Thalapathy' Vijay, has emerged as the single-largest party in the Tamil Nadu assembly election 2026.
Despite a campaign marred by memories of a deadly stampede in Karur in September 2025, which killed over 40 people, Vijay's massive fan-following turned the tide in TVK's favour.
TVK positioned itself as a strong contender in Dravidian bastion Tamil Nadu with its manifesto focusing on key groups like women and unemployed graduates.
The party promised a monthly handout of ₹2,500 for every woman in Tamil Nadu, ₹10,000 for unemployed graduates, a waiver for cooperative crop loans, and a ministry of artificial intelligence.
Vijay's win is the result of a carefully engineered political rise that has converted fan loyalty into a formidable electoral machine.
The actor began restructuring his fan base as early as 2009, transforming it into the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam - a grassroots network that steadily built booth-level presence through welfare work and local engagement.
Vijay's political messaging also evolved alongside this organisational build-up, focusing on issues like unemployment, education, corruption, and governance.
His rise inevitably invites comparisons with MG Ramachandran, the last film star to sweep to power in 1977, though the context differs sharply.
