TVK women’s wing leader Ranjana Natchiyaar quits to join DMK; says Vijay ‘did not keep his word’
Chennai: With just a few weeks to go for the crucial 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections, Ranjana Natchiyaar, a member of the party’s women’s wing and executive, has resigned from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and switched her allegiance to the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
Ranjana Natchiyaar, an actor by profession, joined TVK in January 2026, after exiting the BJP in February last year over differences on alleged Hindi imposition, hatred towards Dravidianism and continued neglect of Tamil Nadu. She had served as the state secretary of the state unit’s art and cultural wing, and was associated with the BJP for more than eight years. With TVK hoping to emerge as a significant alternative force in Tamil Nadu, this move could be a major setback to Vijay.
Accusing TVK chief Vijay of disrespecting women, Natchiyaar said that party leaders were disrespecting women and making comments insulting them on stage on Women’s Day. Ranjana pointed to remarks where Vijay reportedly dismissed personal matters as “not worth it”, interpreting them as disrespectful to his estranged wife Sangeetha. “What’s not worth it—your wife or your marriage?” she had asked, emphasising that a leader with millions of young followers must exercise caution in public statements to avoid setting a poor example.
Citing the reasons for quitting TVK now, Ranjana said that the party leadership does not care about the pain of its workers. In a statement to the media, she accused Vijay of failing to live up to his promises of leading the party in a “different” kind of politics.
“The main issue was that decisions were often one-sided, and there was limited space for ground-level voices to be heard. Workers who were actively contributing felt that their efforts were not properly recognized. What I mentioned was not just about me, but about the concerns of many grassroots workers,” Natchiyaar told ThePrint.
She added that leadership should be inclusive and accessible, where even a grassroots cadre feels confident that their voice matters. Unfortunately, that kind of environment is missing, which led to disappointment, she added.
Ranjana said that Vijay had declared he was going to bring out a different approach in the party, with different ideologies and no alliances. “But he did not keep his word. He should come and meet people, cadres and leaders. He is not approachable to the cadres and even the general public. Leadership is not about authority alone, it is about responsibility towards every worker. When grassroots voices are not heard, the foundation itself weakens. I experienced that gap,” said Natchiyaar.
She also alleged that questions within the party are handled in a “one-sided manner”, and grassroots workers are neglected. “He said that he draws inspiration from MG Ramachandran so people had expectations from him and even I expected that he would be like MGR. MGR was not like this, he would go meet people and engage with them but he (Vijay) is just waving sitting in a car at a distance and this is not how we expected it to be,” she added.
Natchiyaar joined the DMK on Thursday, and contrasted TVK with the DMK’s established position in power and the trust people repose in it. “DMK is a party that is already in power, and we know that it is because people have trust in them and believe in DMK,” she said, positioning her move as aligned with a more mature and accountable political force. “My decision to join DMK was based on the belief that I can work in a system where structure, respect for cadre, and communication are stronger. I want to focus on serving people effectively; I didn’t come to politics for position, I came for impact. I believe DMK gives me a better platform to actually deliver results for people,” she said.
TVK has yet to issue an official response to Natchiyaar’s resignation or her criticism. When contacted, TVK Joint General Secretary CTR Nirmalkumar said that he does not want to give importance to Ranjana Natchiyaar’s resignation since she is someone who just joined the party and was expecting a post. “She didn’t get the post so she quit. Let’s move on,” he said.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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