Tamil Nadu: Vijay declares himself CM face, says 2026 polls ‘straight fight’ with DMK

Tamil actor and TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam) president Vijay on Wednesday announced that he will be the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, asserting that the contest would be a "straight fight" between the TVK and the ruling (DMK) Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

Addressing the party’s special general council meeting in Mamallapuram, the actor-turned-politician expressed confidence about securing power, saying the TVK had a "hundred per cent chance of victory".

The meeting was Vijay’s first major public address since the September stampede at a TVK event in Karur that left 41 people dead. The session opened with a two-minute silence in memory of the victims. Vijay described the incident as a "temporary hurdle" and alleged it was "engineered by the ruling DMK ecosystem".

He criticised the state government’s response to the tragedy and accused chief minister M.K. Stalin and the DMK of attempting to damage the party’s image. Vijay said the government had used the incident to "malign TVK" by appointing a single-member inquiry commission and "deploying senior IAS and police officers to damage the party’s image".

Referring to the Supreme Court’s observations in connection with the Karur case, he said the truth would "vindicate TVK and expose the government’s manipulation".

More than 2,000 party functionaries, including district secretaries and office bearers, attended the meeting. Party leaders termed the gathering a significant moment in the TVK’s political evolution, marking its shift from a movement to a formal electoral organisation ahead of its first Assembly contest.

The general council adopted 12 resolutions, including one urging the Election Commission of India to suspend the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The party claimed the process could lead to legitimate voters being excluded.

Concluding his remarks, Vijay said the Karur tragedy had strengthened the TVK’s resolve. “We have learned painful lessons, but we will move forward with greater determination, discipline and commitment to serve the people,” he added.

With Wednesday’s announcement, the TVK has positioned itself as a key challenger to the DMK in 2026, signalling a high-stakes electoral showdown in Tamil Nadu.

With IANS inputs