Vijay’s teaser for political foray? Actor meets fans who won rural local body polls
Story highlights
A statement issued by the TVMI, mentions that all candidates who emerged victorious met Vijay and sought his wishes. It was also added that these functionaries would highlight the basic problems faced by the people and help find solutions for the same, with the support of the state and central governments.
In a clear expression of his political ambitions, Tamil actor C Joseph Vijay met 129 of his fan club members who won in the recently-concluded rural local body elections in Tamil Nadu. While the actor himself did not campaign in the elections, his fan club members were permitted contest as independent candidates, while using the flag and the actor's picture when canvassing for votes.
Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam(TVMI) is regarded as a fan club cum precursor to Vijay’s (possible) political party. 129 of the 169 candidates who contested as a part of TVMI had won in the polls, despite the actor not having. This is significant given how other actor-turned-politicians who also fielded their party candidates in the polls had a very dismal show.
In a state where actor-turned-politicians and those with a background in the cinema industry have been elected to the position of Chief Minister, Vijay seems to be testing the waters for an impending foray. In contrast to many personalities who take the top-down approach and foray into politics using their personal brand and charisma, Vijay appears to be trying the reverse - building the party infrastructure from a grassroots level.
A statement issued by the TVMI, mentions that all candidates who emerged victorious met Vijay and sought his wishes. It was also added that these functionaries would highlight the basic problems faced by the people and help find solutions for the same, with the support of the State and Central governments.
When queried about the meeting that Vijay held with the functionaries, N. Anand, General Secretary, TVMI told Zee Media that the actor checked all the certificates of the winning candidates and urged them to work for the people. He also met everyone individually and spoke to each of us for a couple of minutes, he added. Asked specifically about whether Vijay harbors intentions to foray into politics, Anand replied that he wasn’t aware and that he’d have to check with the Actor.