By Mukesh 
Tamil cinema’s top actor C. Joseph Vijay’s fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) on Monday (May 4, 2026) made a stunning electoral debut, emerging as the single largest party with 108 seats in the 17th Tamil Nadu Assembly election. In doing so, it disrupted a nearly half-century-old bipolar landscape dominated by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
Taking on multi-party fronts led by the two Dravidian majors, the TVK, powered almost entirely by Mr. Vijay’s charisma, fell just 10 seats short of the halfway mark in the 234-member House. The party secured an impressive 35% vote share, polling over 1.6 crore votes across regions, communities, and religions. Mr. Vijay himself won from both Perambur and Tiruchi East.