Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, TVK's Vijay File Nomination For Polls

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and his rival TVK's actor-turned-politician Vijay on Monday filed their nominations for the April 23 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls.

MK Stalin filed his nomination for the Kolathur constituency, a seat he won in 2011, 2016 and 2021.

Soon after filing his papers, Stalin briefly held a road show and waved to the people and sought support. The DMK chief also released a book on his achivements for the Kolathur constituency.

"Our victory will be very bright. Compared to the last three times, this time I'm witnessing a huge support. This is the United Progressive Alliance. Tamil Nadu is fighting against Delhi. This time the victory is going to be very big," Stalin told news agency ANI.

DMK will contest 164 out of the 234 constituencies in the state, while 70 seats have been allocated to its alliance partners. These partners include the Congress Party with 28 seats, the Communist Party of India (CPI) with 5 seats, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) with 5 seats, VCK with 8 seats, and MDMK with 4 seats.

Other smaller parties in the alliance include the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) with 10 seats, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) with 2 seats, and several other regional parties.

Vijay, whose Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam or TVK is making its electoral debut, is contesting his first Assembly election from two urban constituencies - Perambur in Chennai and Tiruchi East.  

The TVK chief submitted his nomination before the Returning Officer at Dr Ambedkar Government Arts College in Vyasarpadi. The filing was carried out in the presence of senior party leaders, including General Secretary N Anand and Joint General Secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar, who accompanied Vijay to the venue.

Thousands of TVK cadres, fans of the actor, and members of the public gathered along the key routes leading to Vyasarpadi and outside the college premises hours before the actor-politician's arrival.

Party insiders described the nomination day as a "show of strength", highlighting the grassroots enthusiasm surrounding Vijay's entry into electoral politics.

At a meeting of party functionaries held at a five-star hotel in Chennai on Sunday, Vijay reiterated that the electoral contest was between his "people's alliance TVK" and the "Stalin-led alliance", describing the ruling DMK-led bloc as a "patch-up".

"I have selected candidates who will stand with the people," he had said.

"They are not mere 'vetpalargal' (candidates), but 'makkal kappalargal' (people's protectors)," Vijay had said, urging voters to extend wholehearted support to them.

He particularly exhorted Gen Z voters to turn out in large numbers for the party's 'whistle' symbol and encourage their families to back TVK candidates.