Thalapathy Vijay to contest Tamil Nadu polls, rules out alliance with BJP, DMK
Vijay intends to present his party, TVK, as a third front in Tamil Nadu politics, an alternative to both DMK and the AIADMK.
Indian Actor-politician Vijay, who is trying to push forward his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) as a third front in Tamil Nadu, announced that he would contest the assembly polls from Madurai East.
The TVK chief made the announcement at a mega rally in Madurai district in front of thousands of his supporters on Thursday afternoon.
Vijay also ruled out alliance for the state polls, saying the BJP was his "ideological enemy" and the ruling DMK the "only political enemy".
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"Our only ideological enemy is BJP, our only political enemy is DMK...TVK is not a party that was started just for some political benefits," Vijay told the gathering.
He also said that the contest in the 2026 assembly elections would be between the ruling DMK and his party.
"Our priority is the safety of women, elders and children. Our government would be friendly to whoever needs special attention, like farmers, youths, transgender people, the elderly without care, and people with physical disabilities. TVK is not a party that was established solely for political benefits. Our only ideological enemy is the BJP and our only political enemy is the DMK," Vijay said, according to PTI.
Vijay is trying to portray his party, TVK, as a third front in Tamil Nadu politics, an alternative to both the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the opposition AIADMK.
He called the ruling DMK government as "anti-people" and said that the state would see a political change in 2026.
"Tamil Nadu has seen big political changes in 1967 and 1977. A similar history will repeat in 2026," he said.
The actor-turned-politician used the metaphor of a lion, saying, "When a lion roars, the sound can be heard up to 8 kilometres away in all directions. That lion comes out only to hunt, not for entertainment. It always hunts only living prey and wins through the hunt. No matter how hungry it may be, it will never touch rotten flesh or dead animals."
Vijay will be going for the elections for the first time since he formally entered into politics with the foundation of TVK last year. The assembly election in Tamil Nadu is scheduled to be held in 2026.
