2 months ago
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The fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), connected March 29, 2026, crossed 1 of the astir important stages of the electoral process, by naming candidates for each the 234 Assembly constituencies successful the State.
Ever since the archetypal excitement astir the TVK’s introduction into the governmental country started evaporating aft the Karur stampede that killed 41 persons successful September past year, the party’s laminitis C. Joseph Vijay (Tamil histrion known lone arsenic Vijay) became a people of onslaught from his critics. Thanks to his party’s litigation, the stampede lawsuit was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from a Madras High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) and a State-constituted enquiry commission. In 2 spells dispersed implicit 2 months, Mr. Vijay has faced interrogation by the CBI successful New Delhi. Meanwhile, the speech of a decisive displacement successful the TVK’s basal connected the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which Mr. Vijay had called each on arsenic the “ideological adversary,” began doing the rounds a time earlier the actor-turned person near for New Delhi. Sections of the media frantically reported that a big of territory secretaries of the TVK had expressed, astatine an interior gathering held virtually, their penchant for an confederation with the BJP.
Mr. Vijay had made it wide astatine the TVK’s inaugural State-level league successful October 2024, that helium was unfastened to having pre-poll alliances and a conjugation government, a conception which is anathema to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). Yet, barring the AIADMK and the BJP which had sought to tribunal the TVK, others, including allies of the DMK, stayed aloof successful the airy of buzz from definite quarters that the Congress and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi mightiness determination towards the TVK.
An absorbing potpourri
It was against this backdrop that the TVK came retired with its database of nominees successful 1 go. As of now, lone 1 much enactment — the 16-year-old Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) — is contesting successful each the seats. Mr. Vijay is contesting from Perambur successful northbound Chennai, erstwhile a spot reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) but present a wide constituency with economically susceptible sections of nine surviving successful ample numbers, and from Tiruchi East, a spot successful the cardinal portion of the State with a important colonisation of Christians, particularly Vellalas (the denomination to which Mr. Vijay’s begetter S.A. Chandrasekhar belongs), and Muslims. The enactment has fielded galore of its salient faces successful Chennai, including AIADMK’s erstwhile veteran, J.C.D. Prabhakar (Thousand Lights), and the TVK’s wide caput ‘Bussy’ N. Anand (T. Nagar).
As per an estimate, astir 45% of the candidates —106 nominees — are from different parties. While nary 1 would person thing antagonistic to remark astir giving tickets to erstwhile School Education Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan and his subordinate V. Sathyabama, who, arsenic Tiruppur’s MP during 2014-19, took her occupation earnestly successful presumption of participating successful debates (both joined the enactment astir 4 months ago), Mr. Vijay’s determination with respect to immoderate others caused disquiet among enactment cadres. There was an constituent of astonishment implicit the inclusion of 2 erstwhile MLAs of the Dravidian major, Dusi K. Mohan and Reddiyarpatti V. Narayanan and a elder office-bearer of the Congress D. Selvam, each of whom joined the TVK astatine the past minute. When the TVK laminitis held a gathering astatine a edifice successful Chennai, sections of enactment cadres staged a objection extracurricular the hotel, protesting against the prime of campaigner for K.V. Kuppam, a constituency reserved for SCs successful Vellore.
Lack of assemblage control
On the archetypal time of filing nominations, Mr. Vijay submitted his papers successful Perambur but his program for campaigning successful 3 Chennai seats suffered a setback arsenic helium was not capable to screen the 3rd constituency, for which his enactment blamed the police. While aft the Karur stampede, TVK functionaries would beryllium expected to beryllium much meticulous to detail, this run incidental proves that they person go nary the wiser. Instead of blaming the constabulary oregon officials, the enactment managers should instrumentality a cue from however assemblage absorption was handled during the yearly temple festival of Arubathumoovar (idols of the 63 Nayanmars) connected the aforesaid time successful Mylapore smoothly, contempt the lawsuit being watched by thousands of devotees. Else, 1 does not person to hazard a large conjecture astir the result.
