India Post-Elections: Why Tamil Nadu's Joseph Vijay Is Likened To NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani

2026-05-05 11:17:33

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The success of actor-politician C. Joseph Vijay of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in the assembly elections for Tamil Nadu is being compared -by some observers - to that of two other leaders who won elections by taking advantage of social media: New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Nepal Prim Minister Balen Shah.

All three have used social media to the hilt, engaging with their supporters and followers, especially Gen-Z members. They successfully projected themselves as 'outsiders' out to cleanse the system. And millions of young followers are clued in to the manner in which they communicate and speak their language.

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Vijay won 108 seats (10 short of a majority) and surprised the two established parties, the DMK and the AIADMK, in the south Indian state where political parties have traditionally been interacting closely with voters by organising meetings and interacting with them personally.

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Vijay - like Zohran and Balen - has drawn a dramatically different path. Unlike other politicians in the state and other parts of India, Vijay has ignored traditional media and has not held any press conferences or interactions with journalists. Instead, the actor (who has featured in 70 films) has maintained close touch with his followers through more than 85,000 fan clubs in the state.

The party's IT wing has been targeting young voters with its digital strategy, using hugely popular social media platforms including WhatsApp, YouTube, X, Instagram and Facebook.

Vijay, who is confident of ensuring his party gets the support of other members in the legislature, has sought an appointment with the state's governor and also a fortnight's time to prove his majority in the 234-member legislature.

Tamil Nadu has in the past seen superstars foraying into politics, some making it big. They include the legendary M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), who came to power in 1977, and his protégé, Jayalalithaa.

Other superstars also tried entering politics, but failed. They include Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. But both were old: the former was 70 and Haasan was 65.

M.K. Stalin, the outgoing chief minister from the DMK, is 73, while Edappadi K. Palaniswami, the AIADMK chief, is 71. In contrast, Vijay is 51.

Known as the 'jana nayagan' (people's leader) in Tamil, Vijay is now being wooed by other parties including the Congress, though it has a negligible presence in the state and in the assembly.

The DMK has won 73 seats and the AIADMK-NDA has got 53; and C. Joseph Vijay is touted as the state's next chief minister.