Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 4 : Thalapathy Vijay, who emerged as the biggest highlight of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, has stunned the state's 'Dravidian' parties, signalling the dawn of a new political era.
Making a remarkable electoral debut, Vijay, through his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), has established himself as the true "Jana Nayagan" of Tamil Nadu, leading in 109 constituencies. Although still short of the halfway mark of 118 seats, Vijay is likely to get support from smaller parties of both Dravidian alliances.
The results have also shattered long-held notions about actors struggling to succeed in politics, as Vijay now joins the league of iconic actor-turned-leaders like NT Rama Rao, MG Ramachandran, and J Jayalalithaa.
His performance reinforces that his cinematic popularity has translated into a deep emotional connection with the masses, reflected clearly in the public mandate.
TVK's victory could also mark a historic shift, as Tamil Nadu may witness its first government outside the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) dominance since June 1977.
Vijay's family was seen celebrating his party's performance, watching TV at their residence while singing the 'whistle podu' song, which is also the party's symbol. Vijay's CA Chandrasekar and cousins were present for the celebrations.
As the projections of the winning seats came in senior police officials arrived at his residence in the city, with full security detail has been deployed near Vijay's house.
"You will see that there is no need for any coalition. I can assure you that much, we will form the Govt on our own...There are no ifs and buts; it is a very clear mandate. The message is very clear - people have put a full stop to the loot, corruption, nepotism and family politics. This is the end of dynasty, this is the end of DMK," said TVK's national spokesperson Felix Gerald.
Vijay was projected as leading from Tiruchirappalli (East) by a margin of more than 6,000 votes, getting 16,579 votes till the 4th round of voting out of a total of 22 rounds of counting. DMK's Inigo Irudayaraj however secured around 10,000 votes trailing behind Vijay after the fourth round.
Vijay is also contesting from Perambur, where he has an even bigger leading margin of more than 10,000 votes against DMK's R D Shekar.
The party workers also celebrated outside the party's headquarters in Chennai today as latest trends showed the party poised to emerge as the single-largest party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Enthusiastic party workers and supporters gathered in large numbers outside the party office, waving flags and distributing sweets to celebrate the party's performance.
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) was ahead in 64 constituencies, while the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was leading in 44 seats in projections by the EC.
Smaller parties, including the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), Indian National Congress (INC), and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), were leading in 4, 5, and 3 seats, respectively.
Counting of votes polled began at 8 am today and the final results are yet to be officially declared by the Election Commission.
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