Udayanidhi Stalin vs actor Vijay? Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam may aim to fill the void left by AIADMK

All eyes are on actor Vijay. The actor is expected to announce his political party Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam's ideology and vision for the state in the debut public conference underway at Villupuram's Vikravandi on Sunday.

The event is keenly watched by political parties, observers and people alike, for the impact it can have on Tamil politics. 

Vijay is unlikely to deviate from Tamil Nadu's Dravidian ideology, going by his earlier statements and how he made it a point to sport cutouts of Dravidian stalwart EV Ramasamy 'Periyar', B R Ambedkar and Congress leader and former Chief Minister K Kamaraj at his conference venue.  

However, it has to be seen whether the fledgling party will fill the void left by AIADMK after the demise of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. Though the BJP attempts to enter this space, riding on the popularity of BJP chief Annamalai, Vijay has an edge since Tamil Nadu politics is still mostly anchored on Dravidian ideology. That the national parties, including Congress and Left parties, are shrinking in the state could also come to Vijay's aid, though he has a strong contender in Seeman, leader of the Naam Tamilar Party, which advocates for Tamil nationalism against Dravidianism. 

Also read: TVK’s Vikravandi conference: Thalapathy Vijay likely to make crucial announcements as party preps for first state-level meet

Vijay may not also mince words in targeting the DMK as he is seen as a rival to Udayanidhi Stalin, the deputy chief minister and DMK's heir. 

Speculations are rife that he intends to make a direct attack against the DMK, especially on the issues of drug and alcohol addiction, deviating from his earlier soft approach to the ruling party. 

The actor-turned-politician may also target the BJP on multiple issues, including NEET and New Education Policy (NEP) which are hot topics in state politics. Both the DMK and the AIADMK are against the entrance examination and the NEP's imposition of Hindi. Vijay too is expected to join the bandwagon.

He may also propose three resolutions aimed at critiquing BJP policies, reported local media. Though not much is known about these issues, they are expected to focus on Tamil Nadu’s autonomy and interests.

Vijay's speech could also focus on women's and youth issues as much of his support base is youth between 18 and 25, who see him as a promising young leader who will deliver.

But, he will have to tread carefully as other big-ticket entrants to the political landscape of Tamil Nadu, including Kamal Haasan, couldn't create any ripples in the states. Before Kamal's Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) launched six years ago, it was the late actor Vijayakanth who dipped his toes in the political pool. His party Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam tasted electoral success in 2005. 

Though superstar Rajinikanth announced taking the political plunge a few years ago, he later backtracked citing health reasons. 

As he gears to take on Udayanidhi, Vijay expects to recreate what MGR did in Tamil Politics in the next Assembly elections in 2026. And, the Vikravandi conference is just a start.

(With inputs from Lakshmi Subramanian)