‘In Tamil Nadu, Vijay is family. TVK won’t fade away like other star parties’—treasurer Venkataramanan
Chennai: Many actors and celebrities launched their own political parties and failed to sustain their individuality—but the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is not like them and will not lose momentum, asserts P. Venkataramanan, treasurer of actor-turned-politician Vijay’s party that was launched in February 2024.
Venkataramanan, who spoke to ThePrint in an interview Wednesday, is contesting from Mylapore constituency in the assembly elections to be held in Tamil Nadu on 23 April.
On the TVK’s poll strategy and prospects, he said the party was targeting 50-60 percent vote-share and would form the government, and insisted that there was widespread public dissatisfaction in Tamil Nadu over the long-standing duopoly of the ruling DMK and opposition AIADMK, the two main Dravidian parties.
Venkataramanan said Vijay’s party represents a fundamentally different political phenomenon, the one rooted in deep, enduring public affection rather than the short-lived momentum that marked earlier star-driven parties.
“Compared to other people who came before us, our leader Vijay has been living in the hearts of every individual, every human in Tamil Nadu—not just here but across the world, he is popular. People have registered his face and mind in their hearts. They dream of him coming into politics to deliver the best services to society,” he told ThePrint.
He directly addressed comparisons of Vijay with actors like Vijayakanth and Kamal Haasan, saying that their parties, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), respectively, “are not as active in the state as promised at their launch and have bowed down to other forces”. According to Venkataramanan, these parties generated initial buzz with grand launches but struggled to sustain it over time.
The DMDK was launched in September 2005 and MNM in February 2018.
The TVK treasurer went on to emphasise that Vijay is not an outsider seeking personal benefit or riding temporary fan frenzy.
“Our chief has come with extraordinary love, and good faith for the people. He is living as one among family members, such is his mass appeal,” he said, adding that it is not possible for Vijay to go away “like the others who came for their own benefit”. This organic, family-like bond, he argued, will ensure that TVK’s momentum will not dissipate.
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‘Karur stampede an accident’
Regarding the stampede that occurred at Vijay’s political rally in Karur in September 2025, and resulted in more than 40 deaths and dozens of injuries, Venkataramanan said it was an accident. “It was an accident but we agree that any loss is a loss of the people. It was not an intention to cause this. We are cooperating with the inquiry and have faith in it.”
He also addressed administrative hurdles in campaigning, alleging that ruling parties use police and officials to delay permissions and restrict events of rivals. Despite this, he said, the TVK relies on the “power of the people” rather than power politics.
Responding to criticism that Vijay was not campaigning aggressively across all areas, the TVK treasurer dismissed it as competitor-driven noise rather than public sentiment.
“He has already reached every terrain and every region in Tamil Nadu. He does not want to do any extra campaign because he is already there with the people. Other parties campaign to refresh their presence after neglecting people post-election, but the TVK operates differently,” he told ThePrint. “We are not coming to the people only for campaign; we are already raising their concerns and supporting them at the grassroots level.”
Asked about the party’s stance on social issues such as honour killings, delimitation and even the Union Budget, Venkataramanan said the TVK believed in remaining empathetic towards the affected and reaching out to them instead of merely issuing public statements in condemnation.
“We don’t run behind the media for attention, we stand with the people,” he asserted.
He added that there was widespread dissatisfaction among the people of Tamil Nadu over the duopoly of the DMK and AIADMK, and that TVK was positioning itself not merely as a third alternative but as the primary party focused on practical service to people.
It drew ideological inspiration, he said, from figures like Velunachiyaar, Ambedkar, Kamarajar, Bharathiyar and Periyar, with actual Dravidian roots, and not just as a party with Dravidian leaders in the past.
The treasurer underlined that the TVK was leveraging this deep connection strategically.
Vijay is perceived as “one among the family” in every household, making the entire campaign revolve around him, he said. “Every voter is thinking of every TVK candidate as Vijay. We are representatives for him. Even candidates in other constituencies benefit directly from his charisma, as voters see them as extensions of Vijay himself.”
‘We will form govt in 2026’
Building on the foundation of sustained appeal, Venkataramanan expressed strong confidence in the TVK’s electoral prospects. He said the cleaned-up electoral rolls post the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Tamil Nadu had paved the way for a more genuine contest, adding that the TVK expects voter turnout to surge to around 90 percent due to the political climate generated by Vijay’s entry in the arena.
Citing the large youth demographic of approximately 3.6 crore voters in the 18-40 age group in Tamil Nadu’s roughly 5.67 crore electorate, Venkataramanan said the TVK was targeting 50-60 percent vote share in key areas.
“We very clearly state we can gain 50 percent vote share. We are the primary welfare-oriented party in Tamil Nadu. People want Vijay to become the leader of the state, so we are confident that we will form the government in 2026,” he told ThePrint.
He pointed to Vijay’s fanbase among youngsters and women, who he said were aware of the party’s presence and this reduced the need for traditional booth-level micro-management. “These groups drive even older voters since the party’s emphasis is on social justice, women’s safety and livelihood, employment and transparent opportunities for youth, corruption-free delivery of welfare schemes, and initiatives like anti-drug teams in schools to eradicate the menace over time,” said the TVK treasurer.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also Read: Caste, freebies, Dravidian ideology & a new player—Tamil Nadu election no longer a DMK, AIADMK duopoly
