Experience, alliances, money power will not matter this time: Nirmal Kumar | Interview

In an exclusive conversation with The Federal during his campaign in Thiruparankundram, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) joint general secretary and the party’s candidate from this constituency, CTR Nirmal Kumar, dismissed conventional electoral metrics about the upcoming assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, asserting that this is a “different election” where experience, alliances, and money power will not determine the outcome.

AIADMK's VV Rajan Chellappa is a veteran sitting MLA in this constituency. DMK's Kiruthiga Thangapandi has built a grassroots reputation as district councillor. You are a digital strategist who has never contested an election before. You think that's a disadvantage?

No. One thing we can see is that this is not a usual, normal election. This is an entirely different election, and that is what we are seeing every day on the ground. Whatever you see, like a traditional politician, a four-time or five-time MLA with more experience, all those things are not going to work in this election. Apart from that, as he said earlier, our leader Vijay has entered all houses before, over several years, and every house has support for our leader.

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Whatever experience you mentioned, none of this experience, whether of other MLAs, ministers, or anyone from AIADMK or DMK, has helped to improve people’s lives or worked for society. All they did was improve their own wealth and property, and they were only working to hold power. Nothing beyond that. People are very clear about this, and they know what is going on around them. Since there was no alternative, they have been voting AIADMK and DMK alternately. But now they are clear. I do not think any of this experience, or having a large party, is going to work. Even their money power is not going to work. This is not a usual election. It is an entirely different election, and you will see that in the coming days.

The Deepathoon controversy has made Thiruparankundram the political centre of Tamil Nadu. What is TVK's clear position? Should the Karthigai Deepam be lit at the Deepathoon or not?

The people of Tamil Nadu have never wanted emotional issues to be created, whether caste-based or religion-based. People across all sections, religions, and communities have lived and worked together, without divisions among themselves. There may be one or two isolated instances in some places, but over the last 25 years there have been no major emotional issues in Tamil Nadu. That is why people want peace everywhere. They do not want a situation like Ayodhya here.

The DMK, which was responsible for law and order, allowed this issue to happen. They made it bigger. If they had wanted, they could have stopped the BJP’s mobilisation much earlier. Their stand in court was also not clear. They allowed everything to happen, and only after the BJP mobilised did they present themselves as protectors of minorities. This appears to be an attempt to show minority communities that they are their protectors.

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Over the last year, we have seen that a significant number of minority votes have been shifting towards the TVK. This is what the DMK reacted to. As Mamata Banerjee has also said, the DMK and BJP have a good understanding between themselves. This is something we have seen as well. They appear focused on retaining power and do not want others to emerge. Our stand has been very clear. We will not engage in politics based on emotional issues. We are here for change, not for the usual politics, and not for number-based political calculations at any point.

MK Stalin's son-in-law Sabareesan attacked Vijay, where he said Vijay contesting in two constituencies shows his lack of confidence. Your response?

Let Sabareesan name any constituency where he believes the DMK has more votes or is very confident. We will make our leader contest there, and our leader will win with a maximum majority. North Madras was earlier seen as a DMK stronghold. Trichy was also a DMK stronghold until the last election. How many leaders in Tamil Nadu have the courage to contest in the middle of a DMK stronghold? Only our leader is willing to do so. Even Karunanidhi looked for a safe constituency. Even Stalin looked for a safe constituency. Why is Udhayanidhi contesting in Chepauk? Let him contest anywhere in Tamil Nadu. They have all chosen safe constituencies, but our leader is contesting in the middle of their stronghold.

Also Read: Vijay disrupts, Annamalai waits, and Udhay inherits | TN's Young Turks

This is not just about offering an alternative. We want to show that we are breaking the DMK stronghold. Wherever they believe they are strong, we are challenging them at the centre of it. No other leader has the courage to do this. We want to show both the people and the DMK that the people of Tamil Nadu are with us, and that there will no longer be any DMK strongholds in the state.

41 people died at a TVK rally in Karur in September 2025. You were named in the FIR filed after the stampede, and special police teams were formed to locate you. You think that would have a negative impact electorally?

Everyone knows what happened in the Karur stampede, who was behind it, and how the DMK reacted. In the last five years, have you ever seen the Chief Minister respond so quickly, arriving in the middle of the night? Even two months ago, when a school child was raped and murdered, where was the Chief Minister? He did not even speak about it, nor did he travel there or meet the family. This was only a showcase.

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Because of this incident, they were exposed to the public as being responsible for the deaths of 41 people. We lost 41 people, and we never wanted to make this a political issue or present it as one. People of Tamil Nadu know who was behind this, and that is why they have been supporting us since the Karur incident. Everyone is aware of what happened. Then why did Senthil Balaji move from Karur to Coimbatore? He knows that if he contests in Karur, people there will not vote for him. They know what he is capable of, who was behind this, and why it happened. That is the reason he shifted from Karur to Coimbatore. People in Coimbatore will give a strong verdict against Senthil Balaji. This could mark the end of his political career.

TVK is contesting all 234 seats alone with no alliance. Most political analysts say this will split the anti-DMK vote and actually help DMK win. Aren't you, by contesting here, effectively handing the seat back to DMK?

No, I do not think there is any triangular fight here. When the AIADMK and the BJP contested together in 2021, they were able to secure only around 64 or 65 seats. That was in a two-way contest. Now, they have lost credibility among the people of Tamil Nadu. Edappadi Palaniswami has lost more than 10 elections, including by-elections. I do not think there is a three-way contest, and I do not think people trust that alliance formed by Edappadi Palaniswami.

Since it is led by the BJP, it is also unclear who is leading the alliance. So, the NDA-led alliance is not in the race. You will see this clearly when the results are announced. As a single party, we have the majority support and the highest vote share. After voting, the results will reflect this.

You’ve been in the BJP, then the AIADMK, and now the TVK. Don't you think voters would see this as opportunism?

No, I have never worked for money or power. If I had wanted personal gain, I would have joined the party in power. We were looking for clean politics and a leader who is trusted by the people and works for them. Until one or two years ago, there was no real alternative. Only these two parties existed, and neither was able to safeguard itself. Edappadi Palaniswami was unable to hold his position and remained aligned with the BJP. As a newcomer, it is difficult to sustain oneself within the DMK or the AIADMK.

Also Read: Vijay was grossly underestimated since he hadn't made much noise: R Kannan

If you want clean politics, a credible leader, and an opportunity to work for the people, that choice becomes clear. That was the search we had. We found a party and a leader trusted by crores of people in Tamil Nadu and beyond. This is the kind of politics people are now looking for, and that is why I am in the TVK. In my career, I have not made decisions for personal gain. I have only moved when a party was not on the right path, when it was no longer working for the people or had lost public trust. Vijay has proven himself as a leader. During the Paranthur incident, he stood firmly for thousands of people, and in many instances has shown that he is a leader for the people. He is the one who can bring change in Tamil Nadu.