In Tirunelveli Wednesday, Vijay arrived to whistles and a largely female crowd, delivered a sharp attack on the DMK, and slipped back into a campaign that surfaces in bursts rather than sustains a grind. In an election where rivals have blanketed districts with back-to-back meetings, his sparse appearances and measured pace have come to define his bid as much as his words — a style that projects full-scale ambition, even as the effort on the ground can feel distant, even tentative, at times bordering on a lack of urgency.
In a speech that mixed grievance, defiance and emotional appeal, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader accused the Dravidian parties — and even their ideological rivals — of joining hands. “They may appear separate outside,” he said, referring to the DMK and the BJP alliances, “but inside they are one. Their only aim is that this Vijay should not come”.
The rally, his third since filing nominations in two constituencies, offered a window into a campaign that has been as unconventional as it has been uneven — marked by sparse appearances, a reliance on personal charisma and a message that positions him less as a politician than as a figure in a long-running relationship with voters.
Those involved in his campaign planning until last January say the scarcity aspect here is a calculation: by limiting appearances, he preserves the intensity of each encounter, keeping desire intact rather than exhausting it through repetition. In that sense, absence becomes part of the campaign – what is withheld may hold its value longer than what is constantly on display.
At the heart of Vijay’s speech in Tirunelveli Wednesday was a sweeping attack on the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, which he described as a “cash-box alliance”, allegedly sustained by “looted money”. He suggested that the alliance lacked internal cohesion, claiming that its constituents “would not even vote for each other”. The image he invoked was one of fragmentation — “top separate, bottom separate” — a coalition held together more by expediency than conviction.
But the speech went beyond routine political criticism. Vijay repeatedly returned to what he framed as a sustained campaign to undermine him personally. Without naming any specific allegation, he pointed to what he called a pattern of “defamation” and “targeted slander”, culminating, he said, in a last-minute controversy engineered just weeks before the election.
“After waiting all these years,” he told the crowd, “exactly 30 days before the election, they spread something – you all know what it is. Even that did not work”. He was referring to controversies surrounding his ongoing marital dispute with his wife, Sangeetha.
The remark, left deliberately vague, was characteristic of a speech that relied heavily on suggestion rather than detail. It allowed Vijay to acknowledge a controversy without amplifying it, placing it instead within a broader narrative of victimhood. He linked it to other alleged efforts to contain him – from blocking his films to imposing restrictive conditions on his public appearances – arguing that each had failed because of the massive support he is receiving from people.
That support, he suggested, was not transactional but emotional. In a line that has become central to his campaign, Vijay declared that “in all 234 constituencies, Vijay is the candidate,” collapsing the distinction between party nominees and his own persona. Voting for his candidates, he said, was akin to “voting for someone from your own home.”
His strategy departs from conventional party-building. TVK, a relatively new entrant, has struggled to match the organizational depth of its rivals. Of the 234 candidates it fielded, at least four have already been lost due to defections or nomination errors, according to party insiders. It is expected that two of the four seats in crisis may be saved.
Even within the party, expectations appear measured. Leaders privately estimate that only 30 to 35 seats are being contested seriously, with hopes of finishing second in 20 to 30 constituencies and securing a vote share in the range of 15 to 20 percent.
That modest ambition contrasts with the scale of Vijay’s rhetoric. He described the election as a once-in-a-generation moment, urging voters not to treat it as routine. “This is not an election that comes every five years,” he said. “This is like one that comes once in 50 years.”
Yet his campaign itself has unfolded at a slower, almost hesitant pace. Since the announcement of polls, while veterans like M K Stalin, Edappadi K Palaniswami and other veterans have travelled several districts and addressed dozens of meetings, Vijay has appeared sparingly – first in Perambur, then in Tiruchirappalli East, and now in Tirunelveli, with rallies, likely, being planned only on alternate days in the coming days.
The limited schedule has drawn mixed reactions. Some supporters see it as a deliberate break from traditional politics — a refusal to engage in the relentless, high-decibel campaigning that defines Tamil Nadu elections. Others, including those who had hoped for a stronger showing, view it as a lack of seriousness.
On the ground, however, the response appears more complex. In Virudhachalam, Vaithilingam, a roadside snack shop owner and an AIADMK supporter, described what he called an “unconventional network” working quietly in Vijay’s favour. His own household, he said, reflected the political fragmentation — he backed the AIADMK, his daughter leaned toward the BJP, and a young employee in his shop supported Vijay.
“Even in villages, people might vote for him,” Vaithilingam said. “Parents may vote for Vijay for the sake of their children.”
Such anecdotes hint at a generational undercurrent in Vijay’s appeal, one that operates less through party structures than through informal, often invisible channels. Supporters speak of silent campaigning — without flags, rallies or overt displays — relying instead on personal networks and digital communication.
Whether that translates into votes remains uncertain. Analysts point to two critical fault lines: whether these supporters have ensured their names are on electoral rolls, and whether they will turn out to vote on polling day. Without that conversion, the enthusiasm surrounding Vijay risks remaining diffuse.
As Tamil Nadu heads toward a multi-cornered contest on April 23, with results to be counted on May 4, Vijay’s campaign remains something of a paradox: at once expansive in its rhetoric and restrained in its execution, driven by personal appeal yet still searching for a durable political form.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay waves the party flag during a public rally at Kolathur Assembly constituency ahead of Tamil Nadu Assembly Election, in Chennai. (PTI/File) 
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