Vijay ready for first TVK meet; TN all ears for actor’s debut speech as politician

A grand stage has been set at Vikiravandi village for Vijay’s transition from a reel hero to a real-life leader on Sunday (October 26) evening.

The popular Tamil actor is ready for the first state-level conference of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), the party he founded earlier this year, at the village in Villupuram, a neighbouring district of Chennai.

While many ears will be agog to hear what he has to say, Vijay is expected to explain the core ideals of his party, position himself as an active politician, and set the tone for the 2026 state assembly election.

Watch | Actor Vijay banking on 'Tamil nationalism' in Dravidian heartland?

Why the delay?

The journey of Vijay’s party so far has been quite a long-drawn one. He registered the TVK in February, and went on to unveil the party flag only in August. After another two months, he is now ready to host the first conference of the party.

While TVK cadres blame the delay on the police department, political analysts say the party does not have enough experienced people to coordinate such a conference. Except for Bussy Anand, the party’s general secretary, no known political faces have joined TVK so far.

Vijay has so far remained completely silent on the core policies of his party; he has even refrained from commenting on political issues. While unveiling the party flag, he had merely said he would work for the uplift of Tamil people. Whenever the media has raised any questions, he has maintained that he would reveal his political ideology at the conference.

Grand arrangements

So far, no meeting has been held for the party cadres either. Only last week, ahead of the first conference, an orientation meeting was conducted in Salem for the first-line cadres.

For the Villupuram conference, arrangements have been made for a modest 50,000 visitors. However, sources in the know say close to two lakh people are expected to attend it.

The 85-acre conference venue has been peppered with 70 large TV screens. A 1.5 km pathway has been laid for the star to make a grand entry into politics.

Watch: Vijay lacks foundation in politics, says political commentator Vijay Shankar

Hush-hush affair

Fans are excited about seeing their jovial hero as a political leader who they hope will deliver a fiery speech at the conference. Vijay is also scheduled to hoist the party flag on a 101-foot flagpole at the venue. The actor has apparently leased for 10 years the land on which the flagpole has been erected.

Yet, the entire affair has been hush-hush. So far, neither journalists nor party cadres have been allowed to enter the venue.

Vijay has also issued several advisories to his cadres about participation in the conference and their conduct. He has asked them not to be drunk or behave in an unruly manner. In the latest instructions, they have been asked not to bring selfie sticks and avoid reaching the venue on cycles and two-wheelers.

Meticulous arrangements

The entrance to the venue has been designed after Fort St George, the Tamil Nadu secretariat, with 70-foot-tall cutouts of Periyar, BR Ambedkar, and K Kamarajar — figures Vijay had mentioned in an event conducted by his fans’ association in June 2023.

Along with them, cutouts of Tamil Annai or Mother Tamil, Sivagangai queen Velu Nachiyar, and Anajalai Ammal — who participated in the freedom struggle and was called “South India’s Jhansi ki Rani’ by MK Gandhi — have also been set up at the conference venue.

John Arokiasamy, who was involved in brand building for former Union health minister and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss during the 2016 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, is said to be coaching the TVK leader for his debut political presentation.

Vijay may be seen addressing his cadres to get ready for the 2026 Assembly election and talk about Tamil pride and clean politics.

Also read: TVK for work-based politics, not word jugglery, Vijay tells party workers

TN politics’ starry affair

After the demise of AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa and DMK chief M Karunanidhi, top actors such as Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan decided to enter full-time politics. Rajinikanth announced his political entry in December 2017 and also decided to contest in the 2021 Assembly elections. However, he ultimately did not and even dissolved his Rajini Makkal Mandram in July 2021.

However, Kamal Haasan, who launched his Makkal Needhi Maiam party in 2018, contested the 2019 Lok Sabha and the 2021 Assembly elections but failed to bag any seats. During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Kamal Haasan joined the DMK alliance and became a star campaigner for it.

Both Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan have returned to their active cinema careers after a brief stint in politics. But Vijay has announced that he will quit his cinema career after completing his final project, Thalapathy 69, following the recent movie GOAT, for which he was said to have been paid an eye-popping Rs 200 crore.

Vijay’s decision to quit films at the peak of his career and dive into the unknown waters of politics has puzzled many while encouraging a section of his fans to become active TVK cadres.