Early Onset Of Poll Fever Triggered By Vijay
Vijay manages to appeal to the general population, his cinematic charm would only make a dent into the vote bank of other parties.
Chennai:The early onset of election fever in the top political camps of the State – the DMK president M K Stalin himself has launched the ‘Oraniyial Tamil Nadu’ programme and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palanswami has already set out on an election tour about one year in advance - is attributed to the panic that has gripped all parties across the board due to the political entry of Vijay.
One indication of the fear of losing young voters to the fledgling ‘Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam’ that was launched by Vijay just over a year ago is that the parties are regularly going for poll surveys, engaging external agencies, and changing political strategies based on the results, which is a new trend.
Though none of the political parties are willing to openly accept that the young, particularly first time, voters whose support they were banking on for 2026 polls could desert them, indication are emerging from the field about the new generation’s political shift – many TVK functionaries are progeny of political activists of other established parties.
It was that realization that has prompted the parties to start their campaigns early and also reinforce their cadre base with membership drives well in advance with a view to closing the stable doors before the colts and fillies bolted.
Since the new voters have their own political thinking and are unlikely to listen to their parents, cutting across party lines, the fear of losing votes from families affiliated to them for generations is common to all parties as both young men and women could favour Vijay, who is anyway a matinee idol with a power to draw huge crowds of youth to his films.
Many political analysts, too, confirm that the State has not shed its traditional collective craze for movie stars despite the variety of avenues for entertainment made available to them now through the proliferation of media outlets in this era of modern technology and booming business of recreational and amusement channels.
As far as the parties go, they have different apprehensions. DMK party workers, who bank on the votes of minorities, feel that they can’t be complacent on that count since Vijay is offering an alternative avenue for those with anti-Hindutva leanings and have to work hard to establish their party as the prime defender of minority rights.
The AIADMK, whose formation was on an anti-DMK plank, too cannot expect all the votes of people opposed to the DMK, for whatever reason, to vote for them blindly, even overlooking its alliance with the BJP, as the TVK is there for them as an alternative.
While even parties like the VCK and Naam Tamilar Katchi, built on strong ideological bases, fear young voters getting swayed by the TVK’s allure, many say that youth alone cannot swing elections. So unless Vijay manages to appeal to the general population, his cinematic charm would only make a dent into the vote bank of other parties.
