By Kalinga Seneviratne
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 15 May 2026 (IDN) — A remarkable political transformation took place in the Southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu, which resembles a youth-driven ‘colour revolution’. But this time, there were no foreign-funded “dollar-chasing democracy vendors” led by youth rioting in the streets and confronting the police and armed forces to bring down a democratically elected government unfavourable to Western interests.
In Tamil Nadu, it was a youth-led revolution that brought their 52-year-old film idol, Joseph Vijay, to power, using the ballot box without any violence on the streets. It was also largely peaceful, despite a country known for electoral violence.
When the election results were announced on 4 May, his party fell short of a majority in parliament by 10 seats, and it took a week of horse-trading with minor left-leaning parties to form a government. The Delhi-elected state governor initially showed signs of favouring the formation of an unholy coalition by defeated traditional governing parties. Still, the streets remained quiet while the democratic process sorted itself out.
On 10 May, Vijay took the oath of office as Chief Minister, supported by 10 minority parties that were ideologically aligned and marginally leftist.
Vijay, a Christian by faith, is the first member of a minority religious denomination to hold the top constitutional post, previously held by 13 others since Independence, all of whom were Hindus in this predominantly Hindu State. Christians make up only 6 per cent of the population in Tamil Nadu, while 87 per cent are Hindus. Thus, Vijay often visits Hindu temples, and his mother is believed to be a Hindu.
Veteran Indian journalist P.K Balachandran, writing for Sri Lanka’s Sunday Observer, noted: “A Gen Z-led tsunami resulted in the victory of Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) helmed by the matinee idol Vijay in Tamil Nadu. The victory marked the end of the continuous rule of the State of Dravidian[1] parties, namely, the Dravidian Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), since 1967.”
Asked by TV channels after the election verdict was announced, young people have said: “We want change, there should be change”. Balachandran noted that “very few had any idea about the kind of change they wanted or expected by Vijay.”
The outgoing DMK government of Chief Minister M.K Stalin has a solid record of economic achievements to its credit, and Tamil Nadu was a top-performing state in India with enviable social and development indicators. But it has not created enough jobs for educated youth, leading to their resentment. Vijay’s election manifesto included setting up Government websites through which the commoner can suggest policy alternatives to the government, with a promise that these could be swiftly followed up and communicated to the people.
“Vijay’s success is remarkable because he came up with no political background or experience,” argues Balachandran. “He had held no political office, or contested any election, not even a municipal one”.
Thus, pre-election predictions gave him no chance, with the best predicting a vote share of 8 per cent. But by amassing 35 per cent of the vote, TVK shocked almost all election pundits. The DMK got 24 per cent, and ADMK 21 per cent.
Vijay said in his campaign rhetoric that he was entering the fray because of the “corrupt” and “divisive” political culture of the State, echoing the rhetoric of ‘colour revolutions’. He also had the pull of his celluloid warrior image in a country that adores its film idols. Vijay is also the son of a writer-director father and the mother is a well-known singer, writer and producer involved in the huge Tamil film industry.
In 2009, Vijay set up an organisation named ‘Vijay Makkal Iyakkam (Vijay Peoples Movement), a social welfare organisation established to bring his over 80,000 fan clubs under one umbrella to organise charitable activities across the State. It was this organisation – known as VMI – that catapulted him to political stardom, after he set up the TMK political party in 2024.
“These loyal units moved beyond film productions into structures, welfare-engaging in blood donation camps, disaster relief work, student felicitation (including computers to needy students) and community outreach (such as free canteens),” notes journalist Dishan Joseph. “These were not one-off gestures, but amounted to a repeated presence which won the minds of the people”.
During the election campaign, he hardly held any press conferences. Still, he campaigned through social media, where he has developed a formidable presence, reaching out to grassroots communities in a country that is increasingly narrowing the digital divide, especially in the State of Tamil Nadu, often credited as the home of the IT revolution.
Ramya Kanan of ‘The Hindu’ noted that Vijay had no love for traditional campaigning methods; instead, he turned to the social media platforms of his cadre, with the task of building a whirlwind online engagement agenda. “An army of official and unofficial supporters build up a storm – one that eventually put him ahead of all his rivals” he adds.
Vijay’s campaign not only appealed to the youth but also attracted the attention of women, who are usually considered a largely repressed and ignored majority across India. This country has produced powerful women leaders in the past and present.
Immediately after taking his oath of office on 10 May, the new Chief Minister delivered on some of his promises. He ordered the provision of 200 units of free electricity to poor domestic consumers. Addressing the serious issue of women’s safety, Vijay ordered the setting up of an elite “Singa Penn (Lioness) Special Force” for women’s safety and an Anti-Narcotic Task Force to crack down on offences involving illegal drugs (a major campaign theme). The special force would have 65 police stations in 37 districts and nine cities.
“Vijay, a political novice, has been thrown willy-nilly into the smouldering cold bed of politicking and political jockeying”, argues Kannan. “How will a hero, used to setting screens on fire, take to walking on fire?” he asks, adding, “As the plot thickens, stay tuned”. [IDN-InDepthNews]
[1] Dravidian is a major language group comprising about 250 million people living mainly in Southern India, and it is distinct from the Indo-Aryan languages of Northern India.