Heavy rush to buy TVK forms by poll aspirants

 Chennai: Heavy rush to buy forms to seek nominations from the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagm (TVK) for contesting the coming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry threw vehicular traffic out of gear on the busy East Coast Road in Panayur area causing consternation among the local residents with seat aspirants arriving since morning on Friday at the party office and leaving their vehicles in a haphazard manner on the roads.

Joint general secretary of TVK, C T R Nirmal Kumar, said in a press note that over 10,000 application forms were sold in the first one and a half hours on day one itself and the exercise would continue till February 14 between 10 am and 6 pm on all days to enable more people apply for party nominations.

Seat aspirants have to pay a non-refundable fee of Rs 10,000 for each application made for a general constituency and Rs 5000 for a reserved constituency.

Since many forms were bought to nominate party president Vijay from various constituencies on the first dayd, the TVK secretariat was making a count of the numbers, which would be revealed later, Nirmal Kumar said, adding that the last day for submission of completed forms would be announced in a day or two.

The Assembly polls would mark the maiden attempt of the TVK in trying its luck in electoral politics though it had already launched its campaign in various levels. Representatives of the party have been participating in television debates and various social media channels have also begun featuring the party leaders and spokespersons in their news based programmes.

Though Vijay has not given any personal interviews to media persons nor addressed press meets, the party regularly issues press releases and announcements that are released to media. Top honchos of the party, however, are in touch with media persons and share the party’s visions and objectives regularly since its launch two years ago, on February 4, 2024.

Now the party is seeking the opinion of the people to know their needs and aspirations before preparing the manifesto for the Assembly polls, in which the party leaders, including Vijay, hope to make a splash. Vijay, who has identified the DMK as its enemy number one, has been attacking the party and its president and Chief Minister M K Stalin.

Vijay had even said that the fight in the 2026 elections was only between the TVK and the DMK. With most of the supporters of Vijay, primarily comprising his film fan club members, are youth and first time voters, many feel that the TVK could be a challenge to the 75-year-old DMK and its well-established allies.

With Vijay directing his criticism, of late, against the AIADMK, which he termed as a corrupt party, he has been drawing flak from the AIADMK-led coalition, too. Though he had said that he was open for alliances and even for forming a coalition government, the TVK has not struck any electoral deals with any party so far.