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In February 2025, prominent strategist and politician Prashant Kishor confidently predicted that if Thalapathy Vijay (Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar) of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) contested the 2026 state elections alone, he stood a very good chance to win.

When asked by a TV reporter, Prashant reiterated: "Yes, absolutely. Keep this video and play it when the results come out in Tamil Nadu," he had said.

Prashant, the poll strategist from Bihar, who started his own Jan Suraaj Party, was in Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu in February 2025, participating in the first anniversary of the TVK. "I have to become the most popular Bihari in Tamil Nadu," he declared. "So, I have to compete with Dhoni, who makes Chennai Super Kings win." Dhoni, he noted, was the most popular Bihari in the state. "But make no mistake. Next year when I contribute and help you win, then I will be taking over Dhoni in popularity."

The analyst had said that if Vijay contested the elections alone, he had a good chance to win. On Monday, as votes were being counted for the Tamil Nadu state assembly elections, Vijay’s TVK had roared through the polls, stunning all parties and observers. Vijay opted to contest all 234 assembly constituencies in the state on his own, adding to the traditional fight between the DMK and the AIADMK. The BJP, which has a minor presence in the state, has partnered with the latter.

Vijay will be the third film star to become the chief minister of the south Indian state, almost half a century after M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), who came to power in 1977 and reshaped politics in Tamil Nadu. MGR ruled the state for a decade until his death, following which Jayalalithaa, his protégé (the two had acted in almost 30 superhit films from the 1960s) took over. Vijay, who was born just three years before MGR became the CM, was born in a family of filmmakers.

He had his first role in his father’s film, Vetri, in 1984. He later emerged as an angry young man in Tamil films. Vijay is also extremely popular among the young and women voters in the state. In September 2024, after the Election Commission approved the TVK as a registered political party, Vijay remarked: “Approaching politics with the doctrine of ‘Pirappokkum ella uyirkkum’ (all beings are equal by birth) itself is a celebration of our principle.”

After entering politics, the actor decided to give up his 30-year-long association with films, indicating he was serious about his plans and political career.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party members blow a whistle (party symbol) celebrating the imminent victory of Indian actor and party president C. Joseph Vijay