VELLORE: Rejecting Chief Minister MK Stalin’s framing of the 2026 Assembly election as a contest between “Tamil Nadu and New Delhi”, TVK chief and actor Vijay on Monday declared that the real battle would be between his party and the ruling DMK, describing it as a “once-in-50-years historic election”.
Addressing party functionaries at Agaramcheri in Vellore, Vijay said, “The real fight is between TVK and the DMK. In short, it is a battle between a pure force led by TVK and an evil force that is the DMK,” positioning the contest as a direct face-off between himself and Stalin. He said Tamil Nadu, once a superstar under K Kamaraj, C N Annadurai and M G Ramachandran, has now turned into a “stand-up comedian-run state”.
He alleged that Stalin’s “real friends” are bribery, corruption and political opportunism, and described TVK as the “whistleblower of Tamil Nadu”. Outlining his party’s promises, Vijay assured improved law and order, enhanced safety for women and children, better-equipped government schools, better healthcare services in hill villages, and better policies for farmers and weavers.
Despite QR code-based entry arrangements, police and party volunteers struggled to manage the crowd. Meanwhile, the Vellore police rejected claims by TVK general secretary CTR Nirmal Kumar that permission for the meeting was granted only 20 hours before the event, despite submitting applications over a month ago.
The permission for the event was given within five days, police said. The party had initially sought approval for a February 8 meeting and later rescheduled it to February 23, expecting around 25,000 participants. Police, citing government guidelines and a Madras High Court order, had repeatedly sought essential details before granting permission, to which TVK submitted replies on February 20, they added.