Vijay, Tamil Nadu Election Results 2026: How a Film Star Won in the Indian State
TVK fell short of a majority but outpolled the DMK and AIADMK with about 35% of the vote, setting up coalition talks.
- On Tuesday, Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar wrote to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar staking formal claim to form the government after his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam won 108 seats in Monday's election, emerging as Tamil Nadu's single largest party.
- The victory breaks a 59-year lock on power shared exclusively between the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam , representing a structural rupture with Tamil Nadu's political order since 1967.
- TVK outpolled both Dravidian giants on its debut, claiming approximately 35% of the popular vote, as April 23 polling across all 234 constituencies recorded 85.1% turnout, the highest ever for a Tamil Nadu assembly election.
- With the DMK securing 59 seats and the AIADMK 47, TVK falls 10 seats short of the 118 required for an outright majority in the 234-member Assembly. Support from smaller parties could push it past that threshold.
- Vijay also won both his contested seats, including Perambur in North Chennai by over 38,000 votes, demonstrating how the 51-year-old leader is converting his cinematic stardom into political capital after stepping away from acting following nearly 70 films.
36 Articles
36 Articles
South India has done it again. A film hero, Vijay, has just made a deadly leap from the big screen to the political arena, sweeping its opponents. The Tamil Victory Party (TVK), which he founded a couple of years ago, has conquered almost half of the seats in his state of Tamil Nadu, according to Monday’s scrutiny. Vijay – meaning “victory” – will rule. Continue reading...
The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party has won 108 seats out of 234, without reaching the absolute majority, while the BJP gets only one seat, remaining weak in the South of India. The success of Vijay, Tamil Christian, appears linked to the growing discontent towards the duopoly of local formations and its strong capacity for popular mobilization, but remains the challenge on building alliances.
According to sources, Vijay is planning to form a government with opposition parties. His party may hold talks with the VCK, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India, the Indian Union Muslim League, and the Congress. Invitations for talks may be sent to these parties soon.
No decision yet on supporting TVK to form government: VCK leader
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol. Thirumavalavan on Tuesday said that no decision has been taken on extending support to the actor-led Viijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), as Tamil Nadu witnessed a fractured mandate in the Assembly elections. The elections, held in a single phase on April 23, saw actor-turned-politician Vijay’s TVK surging ahead of both the DMK and the AIADMK and eventually secured 108 seats, emerging as the …
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 47% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
