Actor and Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay is all set to contest from the Perambur assembly constituency in North Chennai and the Trichy East constituency from the central district of Tiruchirapalli.
Vijay announced his decision to contest from two constituencies during an event in Chennai, where he introduced the party's candidates for the upcoming assembly elections.
The idea of choosing Perambur and Trichy East is aimed at increasing his chances of winning at least one seat to secure a place in the state assembly. Perambur, a high-profile constituency with over 2.20 lakh voters, is one of the largest assembly segments in Chennai following the 2011 delimitation.
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Kodungaiyur and Thiruvottiyur, the two major divisions of the Chennai corporation, alone account for over one lakh votes in Perambur, which is predominantly a working-class area. DMK and the AIADMK have won the constituency in earlier elections, but it has been a DMK bastion since 2019. Presently represented by R.D. Sekar from the DMK, the constituency will witness a tight contest this time with Vijay in the fray.
The NDA has allotted the Perambur assembly segment to Dr Anbumani Ramadoss -led Pattali Makkal Katchi. The constituency has a socially diverse section of the electorate, including a sizable Dalit population and also a notable anglo-Indian population.
Vijay will also contest from Trichy East, one of the prominent constituencies in the Tiruchirapalli district with over 2.17 lakh voters. Trichy East is a semi-urban constituency, with over 30 per cent of the segment located on the outskirts of the city. The seat is currently held by S. Inigo Irudayaraj, the founder of the Christian organisation Christhuva Nallenna Iyakkam. Inigo is contesting on the DMK’s 'rising sun' symbol. In 2021, he defeated former AIADMK minister Vellamandi Natarajan.
With a large Christian voter base, particularly from the Vellalar community, the constituency also has a significant urban electorate, which constitutes nearly a quarter of the population. It is a strategically and sentimentally important seat in the history of Tamil Nadu, as the party winning from this constituency has formed the government in the past three elections after delimitation in 2011.
The TVK has chosen two constituencies for Vijay as the party's strategy team hopes for a favourable outcome in the polls. The party’s second-rung leaders, including TVK General Secretary Bussy Anand, are contesting from constituencies in Chennai, particularly those where the DMK is considered to be strong. Anand will contest from T. Nagar constituency in South Chennai. Aadhav Arjuna will enter the fray from Villivakkam, while former AIADMK MLA J.C.D. Prabhakar, who joined TVK, is fielded from Thousand Lights.
TVK party treasurer P. Venkataraman will contest from Mylapore. Former MLA V.S. Babu, who joined the TVK recently, has been fielded against Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at Kolathur constituency.