Amid rumours of an alliance talks between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), reports indicate that TVK chief and actor-politician Vijay has confirmed his party will contest the upcoming assembly elections independently.
According to a Daily Thanthi report, Vijay announced the decision at a TVK executives’ meeting in Pattinapakkam on Monday night, stating that the party has not held talks with any political party and will go it alone in its maiden electoral battle.
“We are going to contest elections alone. Go to the constituencies and do field work. The list of candidates will be announced soon. I am also going to tour all over Tamil Nadu. We will definitely win the elections,” Vijay was quoted as saying in the report.
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Earlier reports suggested that the BJP, already in alliance with the AIADMK, was making efforts to bring the TVK on board, with negotiations reportedly at an advanced stage. However, Vijay reportedly told party office-bearers that TVK had not held talks with any political party regarding an alliance.
Vijay’s decision, if confirmed, sets the stage for a multi-cornered contest in Tamil Nadu, which goes to polls on April 23. The Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), led by Seeman, has already announced it will contest independently.
According to DTNext, the BJP is said to have offered around 60 seats and the Deputy Chief Minister post to the TVK. The new party, however, reportedly demanded the Chief Minister post for Vijay for the first half of the term—a proposal rejected by the AIADMK leadership.
Earlier this week, both TVK and AIADMK had dismissed reports of alliance talks. TVK’s Joint General Secretary C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar called the BJP an ideological enemy and urged party members not to believe “rumours”.
“There’s no scope for an alliance with the NDA. We have already made it clear that the BJP is our ideological enemy,” he stated.
On the same day, AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami, too, described claims of negotiations with TVK as media speculation.
The BJP leadership reportedly sees the pan-Tamil Nadu presence of Vijay's fans as a potential X-factor in close-fought constituencies, believing that even a two-per-cent vote swing in their favour could prove decisive.
Despite this, TVK appears unimpressed by NDA offers. Reports indicate that the party has finalised candidates for 60 constituencies, with selection for remaining seats underway. Vijay is expected to contest from Perambur, while leaders Aadhav Arjuna and Anand are likely to be fielded from Villivakkam and T. Nagar, respectively.
In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the DMK-led alliance emerged victorious with 159 seats, with the DMK alone crossing the halfway mark by securing 133 seats. The AIADMK won 60 seats, while its ally, the BJP, managed just four.