Vijay declares himself CM candidate for 2026 Tamil Nadu polls

Chennai: Actor and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay on Wednesday announced that the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections would be a “straight fight” between his party and the ruling DMK, declaring himself as TVK’s chief ministerial candidate. Addressing a special general council meeting of the party at a private hotel in Mamallapuram, Vijay expressed confidence that the TVK stood a “hundred per cent chance of victory” in the polls.

Over 2,000 delegates, including district secretaries and office-bearers, attended the event, which began with a two-minute silence for the victims of the Karur stampede tragedy on September 27, which claimed 41 lives during a TVK rally, reported IANS.

Calling the tragedy a “temporary hurdle”, Vijay alleged that it had been “engineered by the ruling DMK ecosystem” and accused the government of trying to politically exploit the incident.

He criticised Chief Minister M K Stalin and the DMK for “maligning TVK’s image” by setting up a single-member inquiry commission and “deploying senior IAS and police officers” to discredit the party.

During his address, Vijay cited excerpts from the Supreme Court’s observations on the Karur case, asserting that the truth would ultimately “vindicate TVK and expose the government’s manipulation.”

The general council adopted 12 resolutions, outlining the party’s political direction and ideological stance ahead of the polls. One of the resolutions urged the Election Commission to suspend the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging it could disenfranchise genuine voters.

Vijay said the Karur tragedy had only strengthened TVK’s resolve.

“We have learned painful lessons, but we will move forward with greater determination, discipline, and commitment to serve the people,” he said to loud applause.

With Wednesday’s announcement, the TVK has formally entered the 2026 Tamil Nadu election fray as an independent political force, setting up a direct contest with the ruling DMK.