Eternal dispute, Stalin-Udayanidhi surrounded by Hindi distance, victory close!

The kind of political politics that had been going on in Tamil Nadu for a long time now seemed to be coming to a complete halt. Actor Vijay, who completed his last film ‘Jana Nayakan’ and announced full time entry into politics, has emerged as a ‘Jananayak’ in Tamil Nadu politics.

The political equation of this state always seemed to revolve between the families of two cinematic giants. M Karunanidhi and J. For a long time, there was transfer of power between Jayalalitha’s party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

Many other cinematic stalwarts tried to enter politics, but they either did not succeed or distanced themselves from the thought of entering electoral politics. But, this time Tamil superstar ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay has changed the direction of the two-sided fight between DMK and AIADMK.

His party Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) has done such a feat, which reminds of the charisma of MG Ramachandran (MGR) about 50 years ago.

In the 234-seat assembly, Thalapathy Vijay’s party ‘Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam’ (TVK) is leading on more than 100 seats. This figure is historical because Vijay has done this charisma like a ‘lone lion’.

On the basis of his popularity, he has destroyed the strong cadre based organization of DMK and on the other hand, the grassroots challenge of AIADMK. Vijay, who was the ‘Commander’ of films, has surprised everyone with his strategic lead and has maintained a strong lead in both the Perambur and Tiruchirappalli (East) assembly seats of Chennai.

This 2026 assembly election has become an indicator of a big change in the politics of Tamil Nadu. In this election, the public, through voting, broke the traditional power structure of the state between DMK and AIADMK for decades and opened the way for the grand entry of cine star and TVK chief Thalapathi Vijay on the political ground of Tamil Nadu.

DMK, which came to power in 2021, now seems to be away from power in Tamil Nadu. But, this time AIADMK did not snatch power from him, rather this time the people there chose Thalapathy Vijay as their political ‘commander’.

In fact, DMK leaders MK Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin, who were trying to return to power in Tamil Nadu through anti-Hindi and anti-Hindu politics, were driven away from the hearts of the public by the anti-incumbency wave and the anti-Sanatan ideology of their party.

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi Stalin this time had focused their entire election campaign on anti-Hindi and ‘Dravidian identity’. Which the people there did not like. However, ‘anti-Hindi’ is not a new issue in Tamil Nadu politics. The politics of language and regional identity has been going on in the state for a long time.

DMK had entered the state politics with this ideology. But this time his anti-Hindi issue did not work. The highest turnout there since independence proved that the young and urban voters there are no longer interested in the old Dravidian politics and want governance, employment, education and freedom from DMK rule.

The anti-Sanatan statements of CM MK Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi Stalin also remained number one in sinking the boat of DMK in the state. Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of MK Stalin and minister in the state government, had given an anti-Sanatan statement in 2023 and it was widely discussed in the political circles of the entire country.

At an event organized in Tamil Nadu on September 2, 2023, Udhayanidhi Stalin had said, “Sanatan Dharma is an idea that divides people in the name of caste and religion, to eliminate it is to promote humanity and equality.”

In his statement, Udhayanidhi had further said, “Just as we eliminate mosquitoes, dengue, malaria and corona, merely opposing Sanatan Dharma is not enough. It should be completely eliminated from the society.”

This statement of Udhayanidhi Stalin sparked sharp political reaction across the country, cases were also registered against him, but Udhayanidhi again said in November 2023, “I have not said anything wrong. I am ready to face legal consequences regarding my statement. What I said was right and I will face it legally. I will not change my statement.”

In such a situation, the people of Tamil Nadu showed through voting that they did not like Stalin’s comments regarding Sanatan Dharma. Voters there expressed displeasure over DMK leaders’ comments on Sanatan Dharma, temple control and cultural policies.

DMK has also been accused of interfering in the religious affairs of Hindus by creating obstacles in the management of temples and festivals through the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, this also angered the people there.

At the same time, Thalapathy Vijay’s TVK appealed to the voters of Tamil Nadu with the slogan of corruption, youth unemployment and change along with Tamil pride. The result was that the votes of urban areas, youth and middle class went to Vijay’s party.

In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the DMK formed a government with an absolute majority after 25 years in power in the state. But, the opposition of Hindi and Sanatan could not maintain the magic of their victory in the 2026 elections.

Vijay’s style of politics also appeared different from others this time in Tamil Nadu. He did not do ‘intellectual’ politics like Kamal Haasan nor did he lose courage in between like Chiranjeevi. He worked on MGR’s ‘mass appeal’ formula and projected his ‘Thalapathy’ image as a ‘savior’ among the young voters of the state.

This is the same Tamil Nadu where film stars like Kamal Haasan and Vijayakanth got crushed between two polar politics, whereas this time Vijay has made such a dent here that he has emerged as the new power center of the state.

Cinematic stalwarts like Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan also dreamed of breaking the impenetrable stranglehold of DMK and AIADMK. But, the people of Tamil Nadu considered Vijay as their real ‘Thalapati’ who changed the system.

In 2017, Rajinikanth announced his entry into politics here, but did not take any concrete steps for years. Ultimately he withdrew citing health reasons. Kamal Haasan formed ‘Makkal Needhi Mayyam’ party in 2018. But his politics and speeches were beyond the understanding of the general public. They had a huge shortage of workers working at the grassroots level.

Due to which he could not leave any major electoral impact. Vijay learned from these mistakes of Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. Instead of jumping into politics overnight, he spent years preparing a strong pitch.

Vijay had engaged his fan club ‘Vijay Makkal Iyakkam’ in social work like blood donation, free food distribution, and disaster relief for the last 10 years. In such a situation, when he formed the party, he did not have to find a cadre.

Here Vijay kept his entire focus on ‘first time voters’ and youth. On the other hand, there was a murmur of change in the politics of Tamil Nadu for a long time. After the death of Jayalalitha, AIADMK became weak and anger was growing in the minds of the public against DMK. In such a situation, people were looking for a strong, young and reliable ‘third option’, which was filled by Vijay.

About 50 years ago in Tamil Nadu, MG Ramachandran had done the same feat with his new party in the very first elections when he formed a government there with absolute majority. Today Vijay has again taken up the same screen-to-politics legacy.