As Tamil Nadu Poll Nears, Actor Vijay Seeks Security Nod For Statewide Tour

Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has written to the Tamil Nadu Director-General of Police seeking protection for the actor-politician's first statewide political tour, which begins Saturday from Trichy.

The TVK has said the tour will run till December 20 and cover all 38 districts via public meetings. "During these meetings, we request adequate police security and traffic regulation," the party requested.

According to the itinerary enclosed with the request, Vijay's statewide tour reach state capital Chennai September 27 and return October 25.

Events during the tour will be mostly held on Saturdays. Only one programme is scheduled on a Sunday. The final leg will be on December 20 in Madurai, which is seen as the state's political capital.

This outreach marks Vijay's third major political mobilisation after two high-profile conferences, each of which drew massive youth support.

Vijay has been categorical in defining his political positioning; he has called the ruling DMK his 'political enemy', the BJP his 'ideological enemy', and has come down heavily on the AIADMK for aligning with the latter. 

He has also said the 2026 election will see a repeat of 1967 and 1977 in Tamil Nadu - when Annadurai's DMK swept to power ending Congress dominance, and later when MGR unseated the DMK to form his government.

By invoking these watershed moments, Vijay expressed confidence that he will "make a wave" of his own and capture power in 2026.

After MGR and Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu has not seen actors turning successful enough to become chief ministers - including iconic names like Sivaji Ganesan, Vijayakanth, Sarathkumar and Kamal Haasan. 

Superstar Rajinikanth too had to opt out of politics altogether. 

However, Vijay's team insists his case is different. Unlike others, he is making his electoral plunge at the peak of his acting career, banking on his current mass appeal to convert his popularity into votes.

In a statement Vijay slammed the DMK for the police booking his party's general secretary Anand and other functionaries in Trichy. He said "the DMK govt is scared of TVK's action. The rulers have lost their sleep and are thinking round the clock on defeating us, mounting pressure on police".