Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (transl. Victory Party ofTamilakam;abbr.TVK) is an Indianregionalpolitical party with the most influence in the union territory of Puducherry and the state of Tamil Nadu. It was founded on 2 February 2024 by actor-turned-politicianVijay, who became its first president. The party is headquartered in Panaiyur,Chennai.
History
Origin and formation
In July 2009, actorVijay organised hisfan clubs—reportedly numbering around 85,000 across Tamil Nadu,[5] under the umbrella of a welfare association titledVijay Makkal Iyakkam (transl. Vijay's People Movement).[6][7] The association supported theAIADMK-led Alliance in the2011 elections for theTamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.[8] After a period of non-involvement in politics, the organisation contested the local body elections in Tamil Nadu in 2021 and won 115 out of the 169 seats it contested.[9] Vijay made occasional political statements such as condemning theCitizenship (Amendment) Act in February 2019,[10] and criticising the other political parties in an event in June 2023.[11] On 2 February 2024, Vijay announced the launch of his political party,Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), and stated his intent to contest the2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections.[12][13]
On 27 October 2024, TVK held its first political conference inVikravandi, which was reportedly attended by over 800,000 people.[19] In the rally, Vijay unveiled the party’s ideology as "secular social justice, and supportingsocial justice,secularism,egalitarianism, two-language policy, anddemocracy.[20][21][22] During the conference, Vijay termed theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as an "ideological opponent" due to its right-wing politics and theDravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) as a "political adversary" due to its alleged corruption and dynastic politics.[23][24] On 3 November 2024, the party passed 26 resolutions criticising the central and state governments.[25][26] After the conference, TVK attracted reaching out to youth, which prompted traditional parties like the DMK and theAll India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) to increase their efforts to retain their voter base ahead of the 2026 elections.[27]
On 13 February 2025, the party announced a large-scale enrollment drive with plans to appoint over 70,000 booth agents and restructure its internal hierarchy in preparation for the 2026 state elections.[28] On 26 April 2025, the party held a meeting of the party functionaries in Coimbatore, where Vijay stated his commitment to establish a corruption-free, transparent, and accountable government.[29][30] The party held its second conference inMadurai on 21 August 2025, where Vijay continued to attack the BJP and the DMK, while praising former actor-turned politiciansM. G. Ramachandran andVijayakanth. He also reiterated his promise for the safety of women, welfare of youth, elderly andtrans persons, farmers, labourers, weavers, fisherfolk.[31][32] He also called for the retrieval of the island ofKatchatheevu from Sri Lanka.[33]
During a campaign rally hosted by Vijay in the outskirts ofKarur on 27 September 2025, acrowd crush resulted in the deaths of at least 41 people and left 80 others injured.[34][35] Vijay shared a statement on social media expressing his condolences and announced that he intended to pay the families of the deceased₹2 million (US$24,000), and the injured₹0.2 million (US$2,400).[36] On 27 October 2025, Vijay met with victim's families inMamallapuram to express his condolences.[37][38] The incident led to multiple litigation, and subsequentCentral Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the incident.[39][40]
