Vijay plans Statewide Padayatra for TVK’s 2026 election debut
Actor-turned-politician Vijay is set to launch a statewide padayatra in early 2025 as part of his political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
TVK functionary R. Ramkumar confirmed that the padayatra would commence once Vijay wraps up his ongoing film shoot. He mentioned that plans for the locations and timeline of the yatra are being finalized, taking into account several logistical and safety concerns. “Vijay is a highly influential figure, so we need to decide whether he will travel in a vehicle or step out on the streets,” Ramkumar explained.
A week after the party’s first major event in Vikravandi, Villupuram, where Vijay addressed a crowd of lakhs, TVK leaders are focused on strengthening the party’s grassroots network. They are working on appointing district-level leaders and forming an IT wing to support the party’s growth.
TVK spokesperson D. Jagadheeswaran stated that the actor-politician would begin directly engaging with the media on party and state matters once he returns from his film shoot. He emphasized that Vijay’s speech at the conference had cleared doubts about the party’s potential. “Before the conference, there were questions about Vijay’s political vision and his appeal to the youth. Now, after his speech, it’s clear that our party has the potential to make a significant impact on the state,” Jagadheeswaran said.
For now, the party is focusing on grassroots outreach rather than large-scale events. The TVK leadership is in the process of appointing functionaries from the actor’s fan club, Vijay Makkal Iyakkam (VMI), to oversee welfare initiatives like blood donation drives and providing free food and education to the underprivileged. “Though we’re known for our welfare activities, people will start recognizing us as political leaders as we increase our visibility,” said Jagadheeswaran.
Ramkumar added that TVK is also running a membership drive across districts, which gained momentum after Vijay’s speech in Vikravandi. He revealed that the party’s membership target of 2 crore by 2026 has already surpassed 60 lakh members.
Vijay recently met with party leaders at TVK’s headquarters in Panaiyur before resuming the shooting of his upcoming movie, which is tentatively titled Thalapathy 69. The political action thriller, directed by H. Vinoth, will mark Vijay’s final film after a three-decade-long career in cinema. Known affectionately as “Thalapathy” (Commander) by his fans, the 50-year-old actor is preparing for a significant shift toward full-time politics in the coming years.