With the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) releasing its candidate list for all 234 constituencies of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the stage has been set for a number of high-profile clashes for the elections on April 23.
This time round, the TVK, led by actor-politician Vijay—now C. Joseph Vijay for the polls—has decided to contest solo against giants DMK and AIADMK, after the last-minute collapse of alliance talks.
The spotlight is now on the challenger party's three heavyweights—C. Joseph Vijay, K.A. Sengottaiyan, and Aadhav Arjuna—and their high-profile clashes across the state.
Perambur
One of the two constituencies contested by the former actor and TVK chief is Perambur in northern Chennai, the heart of the ruling DMK's urban base, where he looks to unseat incumbent DMK veteran R.D. Shekar.
With more than 2.20 lakh voters, Perambur is one of the largest assembly segments in Chennai, and a predominantly working-class area that has been a DMK stronghold since 2019.
The AIADMK, on the other hand, as has allotted the seat to a candidate from the Dr Anbumani Ramadoss-led Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK).
Tiruchirappalli East
Tiruchirappalli East, the second of the two constituencies contested as a part of TVK chief Vijay's bold two-pronged offensive to secure at least one Assembly seat in the polls, lies at the heart of the state.
Boasting a semi-urban voter base of about 2.17 lakh voters, C. Joseph Vijay will fight for this seat against sitting DMK leader S. Inigo Irudayaraj, who founded the Christian organisation Christhuva Nallenna Iyakkam.
Trichy East also comes with a significant Christian population—a key factor, in a constituency that heavily influences the outcome of the overall elections.
"Perambur means the superstar will depend on popularity votes, while Tiruchi East means community votes,” a senior TVK leader told Indian Express, adding that the latter may be easier to win.
The AIADMK, which has won this seat two out of the five times it contested for it over the past six elections—with the other four going to the DMK—has decided to field K. Rajasekaran.
Gobichettipalayam
This seat, which once gave K.A. Sengottaiyan eight wins (and just one loss) back when he was with the AIADMK now sees him return under the TVK banner.
Sengottaiyan will take on V.B. Prabhu, a fresh face who rose up the ranks by means of student politics, and will be fighting his first such election against a veteran.
This will mean that voters will be torn between voting for the man that they raised to the seat eight times, versus a new face from the party that has long commanded their loyalty.
Villivakkam
Aadhav Arjuna, another of the TVK's most prominent faces and its general secretary for election campaign management, was once not only a top official in the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), an ally of the ruling DMK-led alliance, but also played an important role as a strategist for the ruling alliance in the 2021 elections.
In contesting against Karthik Mohan of this DMK bastion, Arjuna brings a wealth of insights on the DMK's own functioning.
This makes him a strong contender against Karthik, a new face that also has insights into the election arts, as he is the son of M.K. Mohan, a wealthy veteran politician from the nearby seat of Anna Nagar.
