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It was an unexpected landslide election victory for someone who announced his candidacy for the post of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu less than a year ago, in direct competition with the incumbent. Political pundits wrote him off, predicting he could only stir a storm in a teacup at best. But when they saw the crowds he drew at his public rallies, the sitting government grew edgy. They, who had the whole governmental machinery and services at their fingertips, made it difficult for the Tamil movie star to reach out to his supporters. Police permits were hard to come by. The venues allowed for his meetings were restricted.
Vijay's 850 over fan clubs were conjuring up fans, who were basically everyone in the state, to turn out at these rallies. Everyone thought Vijay had hit a wall when his gathering in Karur ended in a stampede that killed 40. The media had a field day running him down for the way the aftermath of the tragedy was handled. What we learnt later, which the media conveniently failed to tell, was that Vijay had personally met the victims' next of kin, admitted fault and coughed up a personal donation to ease their loss. That made the general public stop and turn. For the first time, a Tamil Nadu party leader had admitted guilt and apologised. That was a first.
We all know what happened on the 4th of May 2026. The collective highlighting of corruption, liquor licensing and citizen safety issues drew an unprecedented 85.15% voter turnout, the highest recorded in any democracy. Vijay's TVK party secured 34.9% of the total votes and 108 of the 234 seats, becoming the single party with the highest majority. After the usual horse-trading that happens when nobody secured a simple majority, Joseph Vijay took the oath as Tamil Nadu's 9th Chief Minister and the first non-Dravidian party leader since 1967.
Politics, without the element of uncertainty, will not be called politics. Despite what the West perceive Inia's democracy to be, that is party-free and restrictive, the truth is far from that. The presence of YouTube channels and other platforms that host freely fiery political debates is testimony to the converse. Even now, after turning the whole system on its head, the mudslinging has begun.
Vijay's much-publicised marital and family issues are in the limelight. The 'other woman' appears shamelessly in public functions and even during the swearing-in. Vijay's wife and two young adult children were conspicuously absent on his first day as CM. It seems that the Tamil psyche has evolved over the aeons. From the land of King Rama, who thought his beloved wife needed to perform 'agni paricha' (baptism of fire) to prove her chastity after being kidnapped by an evil king, Tamilians have come a long way. It seems a leader does not need to exhibit virtuous character.
From the very land of Valluvar, the Tamil poet who gave us Thirukkural and placed virtue at the centre of leadership, and who taught that power without character eventually fails, it seems outdated. Now, respect and stability revolve around rupees and mass popularity only.
The other interesting thing observed in the aftermath of the Tamil Nadu election results is the antics of Malaysian leaders from various parties, ruling and opposition alike. The Prime Minister of Malaysia even referred to Joseph Vijay as his 'good friend'. I think the honourable PM forgot that that is the power of cinema, especially the hero-worshipping Tamil cinema. The storyline cradles one into a land of make-believe.
Even dinosaur parties that grandiously think they are still relevant, like MIC, praise Vijay for winning and hope for a cordial relationship between Tamil Nadu and Malaysia. I think MIC had missed the memo. Vijay and his new party had defeated the old guards, the Dravidian parties, which had lost their relevance, much as MIC had.
Even though Vijay won the elections fair and square through the legitimate process, the conspiracy theorists are already burning the midnight oil trying to run him down. Allegations that he was planted by foreign Christian evangelists and financed by India's 'lottery king', Santiago Martin, have spread widely on social media. Even though he has been seen mingling with all communities and he was voted in by a mixed electorate, the conspiracists planted all these accusations because of his mixed religious heritage.
This is politics. Winning the election is not the end of it all. It is just the beginning of a long journey to right the wrong that the same politicians condemned while campaigning. It is the public's duty to ensure checks and balances. If the politicians do not perform, change them once again. Freedom is not a given thing; eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. (John Philpot Curran, 1790)
Farouk Gulsara (asokansham@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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