For years, Tamil Nadu’s politics only revolved around two main Dravidian parties –
- The Dravids Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
- The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)
Then came C Joseph Vijay – a 51 year old filmstar turned politician and everything changed.
In the southern part of India, the filmstars are respected, loved and followed partly because of the aura and visible support they get from the public, and also because of the good they keep doing for their communities.
Initially, many underestimated Vijay and his newly formed party called the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) which quickly became the single largest political force and formed the government in Tamil Nadu with outside support.
It was TVK that broke decades long DMK vs AIADMK dominance and changed the course of history.
The rise of TVK and the fall of DMK & AIADMK:
Vijay founded the TVK only a few years before the election and because of the massive fan following that Vijay already had owing to his successful acting career, his party quickly gained multiple followers and loyal workers.
In fact, analysts have said that this historic win is the end of the DMK-AIADMK dominance in the state of Tamil Nadu. A new era with a new minister is on the way.
The TVK won with 108 seats and became the single largest party in the assembly but it was initially short of a majority. They still needed 10 more seats to form the government – which the actor could get through the support of multiple small parties. He is now supported by the Communist party of India, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (CPI), the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
Congress also joined hands with TVK and 2 of its members are now a part of the cabinet that is led by “Thalapathy” Vijay.
Why did Vijay’s win shock the nation?
Tamil Nadu has a long standing tradition of following its roots because of which DMK and AIADMK have been the dominating parties for so long.
Moreover, everyone considered Vijay to be inexperienced in the political arena and assumed that he was simply giving it a “try”.
Tamil Nadu’s new CM – Vijay’s campaign also relied heavily only on digital outreach through social media instead of the traditional grassroots politics.
But his filmfare stardom was more loved and followed than anyone expected – it is because he was revered for decades, that he won strongly and with the majority votes.
So, why did the youth vote for Vijay?
The youth of India is smart, intellectual and knows what it wants. Vijay’s political aims were youth-oriented and according to analysts, the young people of Tamil Nadu no longer supported the deeply traditional Dravidian political narratives.
They really wanted a change.
Tamil Nadu’s new CM in 2026 – Vijay was seen as more than just another politician. He was looked at as anti-establishment, modern and relatable, less ideological and someone more focused on making a change.
TVK took a strategic advantage of this and made most of their campaign digital – which worked in their favour.
What will happen to DMK and AIADMK now?
This election must have been a serious wake up call for both of these parties – along with a warning sign to change the pillars of their political party.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam still remains an extremely strong party with good structure and organisation but the reason it lost was because of anti-incumbency and voter fatigue majorly.
For the All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, it is still struggling with leadership instability after the death of J. Jayalalithaa.
So, the rise of TVK suggests that Tamil Nadu was ready for a change and to be led by someone new with original, creative and modern ideas.
What does this change mean for the BJP and Congress?
Every single state election and win has a direct implication on the main ruling party and the opposition party. In this case, the BJP and the Congress.
BJP:
Analysts suggest that BJP has accepted that it will not be able to extend its power or dominance in Southern India because of strong traditional values and Dravidian culture that inhibits the region.
TVK’s risk is a challenge for the BJP because it is another powerful regional force that has emerged and its first coalition has happened with BJP’s opposition – Congress.
Congress:
For Congress, it is definitely a huge win – one which they will try their best to continue for the second election as well.
They have supported Vijay as the new CM of Tamil Nadu in 2026 and two of its members are a part of the cabinet which Vijay has chosen.
What challenges can Vijay face?
The biggest challenge Thalapathy Vijay has to face now is to prove himself to the people of Tamil Nadu and make consistent progress. The expectations people have from him are extremely high.
His government will focus more:
- Generating more employment
- Supporting infrastructural projects
- Focusing on welfare deliveries
- Education, healthcare and Law and Order as well
Since he is a charismatic actor, his audience (now his state) is waiting to see how well he does as the one who broke decades long tradition of the ruling parties.
Are we shifting towards digital first politics now?
The biggest lesson that possible every party took from within India was that digital campaigning works more than the traditional ways of campaigning does.
TVK’s campaign relied less on massive rallies and the money that is spent on them, long speeches, legacy party structures and traditional media exposure (or exploitation).
But instead, they were true to themselves.
They focused on engaging with his fans, engaging with influencers, social media virality and emotional storytelling – all mixed into one.
So essentially, this could be the future of rallies as well. We can already see it happening on the pages of Congress and BJP because they utilize memes, reels and posts very frequently.
