Nirmala Sitharaman On Tamil Nadu Polls: 'Vijay Will Have Impact In TN Assembly Elections"

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.