Vijay's rhetoric since TVK's establishment appears to be making a dent in the support bases of the existing players. It is now evident that he enjoys widespread support among young people across the state.
Published Dec 13, 2025 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 13, 2025 | 9:00 AM
Leftists such as Selvaraj and Annamalai from Velli Malai have been spearheading protests that brought some basic facilities to several hill villages, but a large section of youngsters believe that actor Vijay is one politician who could usher in a change.
Synopsis: The DMK and the AIADMK have been the principal political forces in Tamil Nadu for decades, even as dozens of smaller parties continue to vie for a share of the pie. Yet actor Vijay, through the TVK, has positioned himself as an alternative force with ambitions to capture power at the next Assembly polls. His rhetoric since the party’s launch last year appears to be making a dent in the support bases of the established players, and it is now clear that he enjoys widespread backing among the youth.
Thirty-two-year-old Hari Raman from Pudur Nadu, a village in the hilly reaches of Tirupattur district, has been a fan of actor Vijay for more than a decade.
When Vijay launched the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in early 2024, Hari volunteered to spread the word and campaigned for the party across villages in the Jawadhu Hills.
His social media efforts soon caught the attention of the party’s district unit, which appointed him in charge of 32 hill villages.
Like every major political party in Tamil Nadu, the TVK has been running high-octane campaigns with only months to go before the 2026 Assembly election. Many believe the true measure of this two-year-old party’s work will be clear only once the poll dust settles.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam
Yet in rural areas where the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) have long held sway, the TVK appears to be emerging as a strong draw for the youth.
In these villages, where residents are still struggling for basic infrastructure and where officials and political leaders allegedly demand bribes even for issuing a land patta, voters increasingly frustrated with the system seem more open to the idea of the TVK as an alternative to the entrenched DMK-AIADMK duopoly.
South First was on the ground to gauge this shift.
The DMK and the AIADMK have been the principal political forces in Tamil Nadu for decades, even as dozens of smaller parties continue to vie for a share of the pie.
Historically, the AIADMK has enjoyed greater support in rural regions, while the DMK has been stronger in urban areas, though not exclusively. Beyond these, the Left parties, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, the Pattali Makkal Katchi, and others hold significant influence in certain pockets.
In this competitive landscape, Vijay, through the TVK, has declared himself an alternative force with the ambition to capture power in Tamil Nadu.
His rhetoric since the party’s establishment appears to be making a dent in the support bases of the existing players. It is now evident that he enjoys widespread support among young people across the state.
On one hand, the established parties keep asserting that they still hold strong influence among the people. On the other, a significant section of Tamil Nadu’s youth, especially those seeking change, seem to view Vijay as an alternative force.
This support is significant enough that internal surveys conducted by the DMK’s PR agencies reportedly showed the TVK receiving more than 20 percent support.
“Earlier, only the AIADMK and DMK were powerful here. Even now, they have strong support. But the youth are following Vijay and the TVK. In each village four or five young people have joined the party,” Annamalai, a 60-year-old man from Velli Malai, told South First.
Some argue that Vijay’s support base is much too young and that non-voters—those below voting age–are the ones who support him. Others say that people without a strong political ideology are gravitating towards him.
On the ground, South First largely found the latter claim to be valid. Both Hari Raman from Tirupattur and Thangarasu from Tiruvannamalai are in their thirties. Both come from hill villages where the DMK and AIADMK have dominated for decades.
Neither of them is concerned about ideology. For them, the priority is change. They have lived without basic amenities for decades and believe a newcomer might bring improvement.
“We believe change will come. These two parties [DMK and AIADMK] have ruled for so many years, but they did nothing for us. We got a mobile tower only seven years ago. Many villages still have no roads or basic facilities. So we feel we should give a chance to someone new,” Thangarasu said.
For decades, Leftist activists such as Selvaraj and Annamalai from Velli Malai have been spearheading protests that gradually brought some basic facilities to several hill villages. Their ideological commitment to Left politics remains strong.
But a large section of young people, with limited exposure to political ideology, simply yearn for an alternative. To them, Vijay, an actor who has recently launched a political party, appears to be someone who can deliver that change.
Notably, though their grievances about the DMK and the AIADMK centre on a lack of development, neither Thangarasu nor Hari has chosen to lead protests.
TVK Welfare activites
Instead, they engage in small-scale community service efforts such as organising food distribution, medical camps, blood donation drives, and welfare assistance.
“We don’t conduct protests. For a protest, I would have to come down from the hills to the town. District-level protests happen, and we participate in those. Here in the hills, we do things like food donations and other assistance for the people,” Thangarasu explained.
Hari Raman told South First that 2,000 young people across the 32 hill villages under his charge have joined the TVK so far.
Similarly, Thangarasu said that more than 1,500 young people from various hill villages around Jamunamarathur in the Jawadhu Hills have joined the party.
Residents of Kolli Hills in Namakkal district say the TVK has grown enough there that its boards are now found in every village. Silambarasan from Yercaud in Salem said that in each village, “around five to ten youngsters have joined the party”.
“There are 68 villages and nine panchayats here. At the union level, around 20 people are office-bearers in TVK. Nothing beyond that,” he added.
He said people aged between 18 and 60 have joined the TVK. Hari, however, said that most of their members so far are youth up to around 35.
Yet the TVK still faces challenges in politically organising these young members and shaping itself as a party. Beyond core coordinators such as Thangarasu and Hari, many young people do not know who is responsible for what or what roles they might get.
For example, Irshad from the Jawadhu Hills in Tiruvannamalai had no idea about these organisational details. He said, “I am a member of TVK. We need change—that’s why I joined this party. I joined for Vijay.”
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
