TVK chief Vijay makes stunning debut, disrupts T.N.’s bipolar politics but falls short of magic figure

Tamil cinema’s top actor C. Joseph Vijay’s fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Monday (May 4, 2026) made a stunning electoral debut, emerging as the single largest party with 107 seats in the 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly election. In doing so, it disrupted a nearly half-century-old bipolar landscape dominated by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

Taking on multi-party fronts led by the two Dravidian majors, the TVK, powered almost entirely by Mr. Vijay’s charisma, fell just 11 seats short of the halfway mark in the 234-member House. The party secured an impressive 35% vote share, polling over 1.6 crore votes across regions, communities, and religions. Mr. Vijay himself won from both Perambur and Tiruchi East.