C Joseph Vijay is playing the long game. He has started his tenure as Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister well, and everything suggests he could remain in power for at least two terms, if not more.
Vijay will prove his relevance in Tamil Nadu politics and establish the mettle of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The ‘whistle’ symbol, which overshadowed the DMK’s Rising Sun symbol, may remain politically powerful for the next ten years.The Tamil Nadu poll results reflect young voters’ anger against what they saw as the scam-ridden misrule of the MK Stalin government.
TVK secured close to 35 per cent vote share. Nearly one-third of Tamil Nadu voters appeared disillusioned with the DMK government. The DMK failed to win a single seat in 11 districts. AIADMK failed to make an impact in nine districts. At the same time, TVK’s victory was not a complete tsunami either, since it failed to win in eight districts.The backbones of the DMK and AIADMK have been shaken. Unless a political miracle occurs, both parties will struggle to revive themselves over the next five years. Tamil Nadu has undergone a generational political shift.Vijay will now have to consolidate this victory in the civic polls expected by December 2026.In just 27 months, he transformed his cinema fan clubs into a political movement called “Vijayism”. The TVK leader comes across as a deep, calm and composed personality. He has given Tamil Nadu political freedom from the dominance of the two Dravidian parties: the DMK and AIADMK. Just as 2014 saw the rise of the slogan “Congress-mukt Bharat”, 2026 may be remembered by Vijay supporters as the beginning of a “Kazhagam-mukt Tamil Nadu”.Vijay borrowed a famous phrase once used by Jayalalithaa to describe the DMK as a “maligned force”. He was also smart to ensure that three Brahmins entered the Assembly, with one becoming a minister. This sent a signal to the upper-caste group, causing some upper-caste votes to shift away from the BJP and Congress.In the run-up to the 2029 Lok Sabha election, Vijay currently has no major challenger in Tamil Nadu politics.
