The already crowded political space in Tamil Nadu just got even more crowded with the entry of Tamil movie star Vijay into the arena. Popularly called 'Thalapathy' or young leader by his fans, Vijay is one of the biggest stars of Kollywood – as the Tamil tinsel world is called – and commands a huge following, especially among the youth of the state.
Vijay's political entry had been in the works for the last couple of years but there was always the element of doubt of whether he would do a 'Rajinikanth', a reference to the superstar who kept people guessing about his political entry for over two decades before announcing he would not be entering politics.
Vijay has been active in social work through his 'Vijay Makkal Iyakkam' or Vijay Peoples Movement, an extended organisation of his fan clubs working on service projects across the state. When he started to organise them in a manner more relevant to electoral politics by appointing booth agents a few months ago, there was a hint that perhaps, he would be launching a political outfit.
On 2 February came the formal announcement that the party was being registered with the Election Commission of India and christened 'Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam' or Tamil Nadu Victory Party.