"Shall I take a selfie with Erode?''
This expression of interest was articulated by actor-turned-politician Vijay at the end of his speech at a public meeting in Erode. Under normal circumstances, it would mean nothing more than an attempt to pamper his fans fawning over him. But in Erode, it meant a sigh of relief that the lessons of Karur had been learnt, both by his party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), and its supporters. In September, 41 people died in a stampede at the TVK public meeting venue in Karur. Vijay came under attack for the manner in which the meeting had been conducted there, and his abrupt and immediate departure to Chennai. The party's political campaign schedule went into cold storage. In Erode, even though the police ensured that the TVK followed 80-plus conditions before allowing it to conduct the meeting, it was not surprising that Vijay still told the 35,000-strong crowd that had thronged the Vijaymangalam toll plaza venue in Perundurai, "You have come here safely, go home safely. Your safety is most important to me.''
The Vijay Of His Films
That the post-Karur Vijay was more vigilant was obvious when, during his speech, an activist climbed atop a makeshift structure. Vijay cajoled him to come down, and when the person complied, Vijay thanked him with a flying kiss. While the charm offensive remains Vijay's most potent weapon, it is obvious that the newest politician on the block has realised that he needs to replicate what he does in his films - the good-hearted hero with the right dose of mother-sister-brother sentiment, concerned about everyone's well-being.
Vijay's political pitch suggested nothing much has changed post-Karur. If anything, the name-calling has gone a notch higher. Vijay described the 2026 electoral battle as one between "theeya sakthi" (evil force) DMK and "thooya sakthi" (pure force) TVK'. His focus was hyperlocal as he went about dissing the DMK over matters of governance and issues like irrigation, turmeric farming and the power situation.
Erode As A Stop
But what was more significant was the choice of Erode as the first meeting post-Karur. Erode was Periyar's janmabhoomi, and it allowed Vijay to hyphenate his name to the list of people who are followers of the Dravidian ideologue. His mention of CN Annadurai and MG Ramachandran was significant as it meant telling the AIADMK leaders that they are not the only claimants to their political legacy.
More importantly, it allowed recent entrant KA Sengottaiyan to showcase his organisational capabilities. Sengottaiyan was unceremoniously shown the door by AIADMK supremo Edappadi Palaniswami for advocating the party's unification with the likes of O Panneerselvam and TTV Dhinakaran. Now that he has switched over to the TVK, Sengottaiyan has a score to settle. Sengottaiyan has been an MLA nine times and served as a minister in MGR, J Jayalalithaa and EPS governments, and is not a political lightweight by any stretch of imagination.
So, if Erode were a film starring Vijay, Sengottaiyan was the brain and the muscle behind the production. Mission Erode was bulk-order political messaging, aided suitably by geography. Erode is a half-hour drive from Gobichettipalayam assembly constituency, which Sengottaiyan has represented since 1980. More importantly, it takes approximately the same time to reach Edappadi in the neighbouring Salem district, represented by EPS. The Erode meeting in the politically significant Kongu belt, therefore, was a show of strength on EPS's home turf.
This Isn't Only About Vijay
The subtext of a Gounder OBC heavyweight taking the fight directly to another Gounder heavyweight is what made Erode more than just about Vijay. The AIADMK won over 60% of its seats in the 2021 assembly elections from the Kongu belt in western Tamil Nadu. In the Erode district, it bested the DMK, winning five of the eight seats. Sengottaiyan's political mission, therefore, would be as personal as it is political - to hurt AIADMK's chances and make those votes shift to the TVK. If Vijay has to succeed, he has to erode the AIADMK base in regions where it is a force to reckon with.
From an alliance point of view, Vijay logging in on the Sengottiyan motherboard means EPS would now be less keen on a tie-up with the actor's party. In the days after the Karur tragedy and the targeting of Vijay by the DMK ecosystem, there were friendly overtures by EPS and even the BJP. They suggested that the NDA would be more than keen to accommodate Vijay, who was being taken to the cleaners by an aggressive DMK. With Vijay indicating that more leaders are due to join the TVK, Tamil Nadu looks set for a triangular fight between the DMK bloc, the NDA and the TVK. The challenge for Vijay is to ensure that he is a disruptor and not a mere vote-cutter.
While Vijay will continue to tour the state, his real campaign vehicle will be his movie Jana Nayagan, which releases in January on the occasion of Pongal. With the audio release due later this month, the actor would hope the larger-than-life image that he is used to portraying on the big screen would help him undercut the impact of the direct money transfer the DMK has done so far and is due to increase early next year.
(The author is a senior journalist)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
