'Vijay Will Have Impact, Will See If He Takes Away Women Vote': N Sitharaman On Tamil Nadu Polls

Actor-turned-poltician Vijay, whose party is making its poll debut, will have an impact on the Tamil Nadu election, declared Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, adding that the extent to which the actor's party TVK will hurt other players will be interesting to watch.

"He will have an impact on the election. To what extent has got to be seen, and whose vote is he going to take away is the question," Sitharaman said on Saturday at NDTV Profit Conclave.

"Is he going to take away all the supporters of DMK, particularly the women. And women in Tamil Nadu politics have a very, very powerful voice... Women have a powerful decision-making role. Therefore, I think it's an interesting time to watch Tamil Nadu elections," she added.

Vijay, who is facing a CBI inquiry over the Karur stampede last year that claimed 41 people, had identified the BJP as his "ideological enemy" and the ruling DMK as his "political enemy".

The TVK, launched on February 2, 2024, has been allotted the "whistle" symbol by the Election Commission.

According to TVK chief coordinator KA Sengottaiyan, Vijay would finalise the list of candidates soon.

"It is Vijay who is contesting from all the 234 constituencies in the state," Sengottaiyan told reporters on Friday.

Despite sustained overtures from the AIADMK, which has revived ties with the BJP, Vijay has firmly ruled out aligning with the saffron party, stating that he cannot ally with it either directly or indirectly. He has repeatedly described the ruling DMK as his "political enemy" and the BJP as his "ideological enemy."

Amid pro-TVK noises from sections within the Congress, the national party has indicated that it would continue its alliance with the ruling DMK, a front that has won three successive elections in Tamil Nadu.

Having formally launched his political party and announced his intention to enter active politics, the actor has repeatedly projected himself as a leader who would eradicate corruption and bring clean governance to Tamil Nadu. He has also framed his political entry as a sacrifice, stepping away from a highly lucrative film career at the peak of his popularity.

With a massive cult following and a political debut at the peak of his film career, Vijay is projecting supreme confidence, drawing implicit parallels with leaders such as DMK founder C N Annadurai and AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran, who went on to capture power in 1967 and 1977 respectively. While no actor has become Chief Minister in Tamil Nadu after MGR and J Jayalalithaa, Vijay is betting on his popularity and organisational build-up to script a similar political rise.