04 May,2026 01:11 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Thalapathy Vijay
Actor-politician Vijay is fighting his maiden election as the chief of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Votes are currently being counted in Tamil Nadu, along with West Bengal, Assam, and Kerala. Going by early trends, Vijay appears poised to script history in his electoral debut.
While initial projections showed TVK heading for a comfortable lead, some early trends had indicated the party trailing behind the ruling government. Amid rumours of TVK losing the election, a fan of the actor allegedly attempted suicide.
According to a report by The Times of India, K. Mahendran, a 28-year-old resident of Krishnagiri, allegedly attempted to take his own life after hearing rumours about Vijay's defeat. He reportedly slit his throat while standing near his home.
"Onlookers rescued him and took him to Krishnagiri Government Medical College and Hospital, where he is receiving intensive treatment," an officer from the Krishnagiri Town Police Station said.
Meanwhile, as Vijay-led TVK appeared to inch towards the majority mark of 118 Assembly seats out of Tamil Nadu's total 234 constituencies, celebrations erupted among party workers and fans across the state. Amid chants of "TVK" and "Vijay," supporters gathered outside the party headquarters in Panaiyur, distributed sweets, and hailed the party founder as "Muthalamaichar (Chief Minister) Vijay," who is popularly known by his screen title "Thalapathy."
Visuals of Vijay's father, S. A. Chandrasekhar, and other family members celebrating were also aired on television channels. TVK is currently leading in at least 108 of the 234 constituencies.
TVK national spokesperson Felix Gerald on Monday expressed confidence that the party would form the government with an absolute majority as initial election trends showed the party "scaling high."
Speaking to Press Trust of India, Gerald said the results were expected and claimed that the people of Tamil Nadu had chosen TVK because they were "fed up" with established political parties.
"They may have experience of 50 or 75 years, but they have experience only in looting the state," Gerald said, adding that voters see TVK as a credible alternative.
Responding to questions about Vijay's limited media presence during the campaign, Gerald said the party leader prefers "talking directly to the people" rather than communicating through the media. He also dismissed earlier criticism that TVK would struggle to win even a single seat, pointing to the high voter turnout as evidence of public support.
