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Vijay And MGR Politics: Since the exit polls on the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections 2026 predicted that actor-turned-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) could emerge as a king or a king-maker, his fans started comparing the actor to the legendary MGR (Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran), founder of AIADMK and former chief minister of Tamil Nadu. In the late 60s-70s, MGR's cinematic career was at its peak, when he founded AIADMK in 1972, drifting his way from the DMK. The AIADMK under the leadership of MGR did magic in its debut election, registering a landslide victory in 1977. With 130 seats, the AIADMK formed a government, and MGR became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Elated by the projections, Vijay's followers expect an iteration on May 4, the counting day.

Now, it would be too early to jump to a conclusion on Vijay, also known as Thalapathy (leader). Though the origin of both leaders is cinema, and Tamil Nadu has a long history of making a cinematic story of a political stalwart (another example is MGR's disciple J Jayalalithaa), it is yet to be seen how far Vijay could go.

ALSO READ: Tamil Nadu Exit Poll: Is Vijay Set To Repeat Magic Of MGR And Jayalalithaa? Check What Pollsters Predicted

Axis My India Predicts Vijay Forming Govt In Tamil Nadu

The Axis My India sent a shockwave after predicting Vijay's victory. According to the survey, the TVK may win 98-120 seats in a 234-seat assembly. DMK may win 92-110 seats, while the AIADMK, 22-23 seats.

What Other Pollsters Predicted On Vijay's Party:

Matrize

DMK+: 122-132
AIADMK+BJP+: 87-100
TVK: 10-12
Others: 0-6

People's Pulse

DMK+: 125-145
AIADMK+BJP+: 65-80
TVK: 18-24
Others: 2-6

Chanakya

DMK+: 145-160
AIADMK+BJP+: 50-65
Others: 18-26

P-Marq

DMK+: 125-145
AIADMK+BJP+: 65-85
TVK: 16-26
Others: 1-6

JVC

DMK+: 75-95
AIADMK+: 128-147
TVK: 8-15
Others: 0

exit poll tamli nau

TVK could get a decent number even in the worst scenario, pollsters showed. It would be a remarkable performance if the party wins more than 10 seats.

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Does Vijay Do 'Dravidian' Politics Like MGR?

MGR started politics with his political mentor, CN Annadurai, a champion of Dravidian politics. Since the 1950s, Dravidian politics has been dominating the state politics. Now, a question arises: Does Vijay do similar politics, and what is his ideology? The Daily Jagran spoke to senior independent journalist Revathi, who covers southern politics. The journalist said she has doubts that actor Vijay's TVK is doing Dravidian politics, like the DMK and the AIADMK. Traditional parties in Tamil Nadu claim that they do 'Tamil First' politics, but he has not come up with a similar conviction so far, she added.

"Vijay's ideology appears to be based on a phantom. There is no strong ideology associated with him. He keeps saying he wants to free Tamil Nadu from the clutches of DMK and AIADMK. He speaks about social justice, but lacks in action, especially after the stampede incident," Revathi explained.

ALSO READ: Tamil Nadu Exit Polls 2026: Can Vijay's TVK Pull Off A Stunning Debut? Why Predictions Remain Divided

Vijay does not reflect any similarity with MGR in terms of ideology, yet there are some similarities between the duo:

From Cinema To Politics: Both used cinema as a launching pad for their debut in politics, riding on popularity in the world of cinema. In the initial year, MGR had a deep influence over youth in the 1960s-70s, prompting him to do something for them in real life. On the other hand, Vijay too has a large youth fan base, which is very evident in his rallies.

Public Support: Both actors got huge public support for jumping into the political arena. MGR in his movies emphasised social justice, poverty alleviation, and heroism. Similarly, Vijay portrayed several protagonist roles on the silver screen.

Brand: MGR was known as 'Puratchi Thalaivar' (revolutionary leader) in Tamil Nadu, while Vijay has built a brand: 'Thalapathy'. Like MGR, Vijay also spends a large portion of his earnings in public service.

Saviour: MGR and Vijay both cultivated a saviour image in reel and real life, pushing positive and populist dialogues from their moves to public rallies.

Family Man Image: Both actors maintained a strong connection with their fans through themes of mother-son or brother-sister bonds, fostering a direct emotional connection with the rural and suburban masses.

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