Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) President and actor Vijay (file photo) | Photo Credit: TVK/ANI

Actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay is set for a high-profile electoral debut in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, contesting from two constituencies — Perambur and Tiruchirapalli East — signalling an aggressive push by his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), to establish a state-wide presence.

In Perambur, Vijay will face DMK’s sitting MLA RD Sekar while the Paatali Makkal Katchi, an ally of the AIADMK-led alliance is is yet to announce its candidate. In Tiruchirapalli East, Vijay’s opponent will be DMK’s sitting MLA Inigo Irudayaraj.

Vijay releases list of TVK candidates, actor-politician to contest from Perambur,Trichy East

Video Credit: PTI

Vijay’s decision to contest from two seats underscores TVK’s strategy to gain traction across both northern and central Tamil Nadu.

Speaking at the introduction of the candidates, Vijay reiterated that the electoral fight was between his “people’s alliance TVK versus Stalin’s Sir’s alliance.” He slammed the DMK-led alliance as a mere ‘patch up’ alliance. “His party’s candidates are protectors of people. People may claim that our candidates are inexperienced, but they are from humble backgrounds,” he added.

Vijay formally entered politics in 2024 with the launch of TVK and subsequently announced his retirement from cinema to focus entirely on public life. Banking on a strong youth following, he aims to disrupt the State’s long-standing bipolar political landscape dominated by the DMK and the AIADMK that have been ruling the State for over five decades.

Key contests

Veteran leader KA Sengottaiyan, an eight-time MLA and former minister, will contest from Gobichettipalayam after joining TVK. He faces AIADMK’s VB Prabhu and DMK’s N Nallasivam.

In T Nagar, TVK’s Bussy Anand will take on AIADMK’s Satyanarayanan and DMK’s Raja Anbazhagan.

Vijay’s close associate Aadhav Arjuna will contest from Villivakkam, while Joint General Secretary C. T. R. Nirmal Kumar has been fielded from Thirupparankundram.

In Thousand Lights, former AIADMK minister JCD Prabhakaran (now with TVK) will face AIADMK veteran P Valarmathi and DMK’s Ezhilan Naganathan.

Releasing the party’s election manifesto, Vijay focussed on the youngsters - who will form a major part of his voters - announced a monthly allowance of ₹4,000 to unemployed graduates and ₹2,000 for unemployed diploma holders. He also promised collateral-free loan guarantee up to Rs 20 lakh from Class 12 to PhD. “This is a guarantee for the youngsters,” he added.

With candidates announced across all 234 constituencies, TVK has positioned itself as a serious challenger, setting the stage for several high-voltage, multi-cornered contests and potentially reshaping Tamil Nadu’s electoral dynamics in 2026.

Published on March 29, 2026