Whether Vijay has the political spine to stitch together a stable government from this patchwork of conditions, demands, and midnight drama is the question Tamil Nadu is living through right now.
'The AIADMK front comes second, and then the TVK.'
As results of the Assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry are declared, here's how the big names fared.
'Vijay did not defeat Dravidian politics from outside. He entered the Dravidian field and claimed ownership of it. 'His argument was not that the room should be destroyed. It was that the present occupants no longer deserved to remain in it.'
'Vijay entered politics at a much better age compared to Rajnikanth and Kamal Haasan. His fans are young and he has at least 2-3 decades ahead of him.'
The INDIA bloc faces a significant challenge as the Congress and DMK part ways, raising questions about the alliance's future and unity.
TVK chief Vijay declared assets worth 603.20 crore in his election affidavit, including luxury cars and significant bank deposits, ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls.
'Even if they align with the TVK now, I don't think the AIADMK leadership will completely surrender to the dominance of Vijay.'
Actor Vijay's journey from a shy film star to a political leader is explored, highlighting his unconventional methods and the key moments that shaped his transformation.
'If you read the TVK manifesto, it is doles and much more doles. But the state has been habituated to this.' 'In no way is he distinct or different from the DMK regime.'
Actor-politician Vijay is reportedly considering contesting from either Velachery or Virugambakkam constituencies in Chennai for the upcoming Assembly election in Tamil Nadu, according to sources within his party, TVK.
Members of lottery 'king' Santiago Martin's family are contesting in the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Assembly elections through three different political parties.
Discrepancies in actor Vijay's election affidavits regarding pending criminal cases and bank accounts have surfaced, potentially leading to legal and political challenges.
Vijay's TVK party is on the verge of forming a government in Tamil Nadu, drawing parallels to NTR's earlier success in Andhra Pradesh. Both achieved electoral success shortly after forming their parties, highlighting the potential for film popularity to translate into political gains.
Voting has commenced for the Assembly elections in Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry, with millions of voters deciding the fate of numerous candidates across various constituencies. The elections are crucial for determining the future governance and political landscape of these regions.
'The AIADMK will lose a lot of votes simply because it is aligned with the BJP.'
As industrial plants boost the village's profile, locals demand priority hiring, alongside better storage facilities and water security.
Before assuming office as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Vijay submitted his resignation letter from the post of member of the legislative assembly representing the Tiruchirappalli East constituency.
The high-intensity election campaign in Tamil Nadu concluded with accusations and counter-accusations between the DMK and AIADMK, while new entrant TVK made its presence felt. Key issues included state autonomy, corruption, law and order, and the delimitation bill.
The DMK has strongly criticised the Congress party for exiting their alliance in Tamil Nadu, accusing them of betrayal and opportunistic behaviour. The DMK claims the Congress has undermined the stability of the state government and risked the progress made in the last five years.
The BJP is showing strong leads in West Bengal and Assam, while actor Vijay's party is making a significant debut in Tamil Nadu. The Congress is ahead in Kerala, offering some consolation amid the changing political landscape in the state elections.
Counting of votes begins in Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, and West Bengal, with significant implications for regional and national parties.
'Vijay is badly politically wounded.'
Voting has commenced for the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, with over 3.60 crore electors eligible to vote in 152 constituencies in Bengal and 5.73 crore voters in Tamil Nadu. Security measures are heightened to ensure free and fair polling.
West Bengal and Tamil Nadu on Thursday saw a massive voter participation during the ongoing assembly elections, with turnout reaching 89.93 per cent and 82.24 per cent respectively by 5 pm, according to the Election Commission of India.
Allies DMK and Congress have finalised their seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, resolving earlier tensions over power-sharing demands.
'If the Opposition associates itself too much with the minorities, then it becomes easy for the BJP to get Hindu consolidation votes.'
What lessons opposition parties need to learn post defeat of Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal elections? The election saw spectacular victor of BJP which rose from 3 seats in 2016 to 206 seats in 2026 assembly elections.
TVK cadres are worried, the leadership looks weak, and the party is not fully prepared for the 2026 elections, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
'The AIADMK and DMK have 75% of the total votes. 25% of the voters do not support the two majors,' says DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai.
If the TVK joins the NDA, there is every likelihood of the AIADMK winning an absolute majority in the 234 seat assembly and wanting to form a stand-alone government. In turn, it could mean that the BJP especially and the TVK equally so, will want to restrict the AIADMK's seat share closer to the cut-off figure, if only to ensure that EPS won't get the absolute majority that he desires (if the NDA won, that is) and will have to settle for a coalition government, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
The DMK may consider a two-tier campaign, where they keep the focus on Chief Minister Stalin, as a senior statesman with 50-plus years of political experience, and let EPS and the BJP shout in the wilderness. In such a case, the second-tier may project Udhayanidhi as the contender and chosen obstructionist in Vijay's path. The attempt, if any, would be to reduce Vijay to Udhayanidhi's level when the former is aiming at Stalin and Stalin alone in the state's political horizon, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.
After big win in Bihar, the BJP is likely to push harder in Tamil Nadu, where the DMK government and the uneasy BJP-AIADMK alliance are preparing for a tense election filled with seat-sharing fights, changing alliances, and the unpredictable entry of Vijay's TVK party, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.
Vijay, despite the loud message from his delayed arrival at the road-show/stampede venue, and more so his continued inaccessibility for fans-turned-cadres after graduating from a super-star to a political party leader with electoral ambitions, refuses to change. Or, so it seems, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
'Karur could still impact Jana Nayagan's box-office success if Vijay and the TVK do not get their act together,' points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
'Stalin's intention is plain and simple.' 'The DMK wants to convert what is an 'incumbency-centred' election for the party-led alliance into one more 'Modi/BJP election' after Stalin's successive success in 2019 and 2021, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Vijay is counting on what was once proclaimed as his last filmi outing, Jana Nayagan, or 'People's Hero', to do the trick for him, when it releases on January 9, 2026, only months before the assembly poll, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
'What is worrying other parties is those 10-11 year olds who come for his meetings will cross 18 in the next election. And they will vote for him, and then his vote bank will double.' 'In that case, he will be a very serious player! This is the real scare for other political parties.'
Vijay, with his chief ministerial ambitions, is a one-man army, at least as of now, and his campaign team considers him omnipresent. He has to be present in all districts, if not all constituencies at the same time, as there is no second-line leader or platform speaker in the party, who can draw crowds, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
The two weeks that EPS took fending off the Sengottaiyan rebellion has since become lost time for the AIADMK as that was also the time Vijay took to go all-out against Stalin and the DMK, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
