TAMIL NADU — Actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay addressed supporters from atop a customised van at a campaign rally in Tirunelveli, about 600km south of Chennai, ahead of Thursday's vote to elect Tamil Nadu's 234-member state legislative assembly. The appearance came as Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party, which he launched in 2024, contests its first state election.

"My rivals might appear different from outside, but they have only one aim: that Vijay should not become the chief minister," he said, as the crowd chanted his name in unison. Vijay has promised to end the decades-old dominance of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which identify as Dravidian parties and have held power in Tamil Nadu continuously since 1967.

MK Stalin leads the DMK and its 14-party Secular Progressive Alliance, which includes the Indian National Congress as a junior partner contesting 28 seats. Edappadi K Palaniswami heads the 10-party National Democratic Alliance, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party is contesting 27 seats alongside the AIADMK.

Political commentator R Kannan said: "When the AIADMK joined the BJP-led NDA, many predicted the Dravidian party would lose heavily, with minorities and Dalits flocking to the DMK. Vijay's entry, however, has offered the AIADMK a ray of hope — he is expected to draw a decent share of votes that would otherwise have gone to the DMK." Kannan added: "At the same time, he works in the DMK's favour by siphoning off anti-incumbency votes that might not entirely have gone to the AIADMK. For both Dravidian parties, he is at once a blessing and a curse."

Vijay started his film career as a child actor in movies directed by his father, a Christian filmmaker; his mother, a Hindu, is a background singer in films. He belongs to the Vellalar community, an agrarian group in Tamil Nadu with both Hindu and Christian members. His 1992 debut as a hero, Naalaiya Theerpu, flopped, but the 2004 film Ghilli, which carried a subtle political undertone, catapulted him to superstar status. The 2013 film Thalaivaa was launched with the tagline "Time to Lead," and political messaging became central to many of his films thereafter.

Vijay has stated that his yet-to-be-released film Jana Nayagan will be his final film, and he claims the title alludes to his political aspirations. A stampede at one of his rallies in September 2025 killed 42 people.