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2026 Tamil Nadu elections: Trichy East assembly seat turns the temple town into a high-risk constituency for Vijay’s political debut
Campaign of conquest in Tiruchirappalli. (PTI)
2026 Tamil Nadu Elections: Steeped in a thousand years of history, Tiruchirappalli – once a major center of the early Cholas and later ruled by the Pallavas, Pandyas and Madurai Nayaks – is now witnessing a very different kind of battle. Not of empires, but of narratives, personalities and political relevance.
At its center is Trichy East – a compact, densely populated urban constituency that has suddenly become one of the most watched seats in Tamil Nadu after actor-politician C Joseph Vijay announced his decision to contest from here.
Sanghvi, a fruit vendor from Trichy East, said, “We are tired of voting alternately between DMK and AIADMK. Here someone is giving us the option, why not give a chance to Vijay? I like Vijay as an actor. I am thinking that if he gets a chance, maybe he can prove to be better than others.” Her smile said it all – she is not only a fan of Vijay’s acting, but the Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) leader is also counting on him to deliver results in this high-stakes Tamil Nadu election.
CNN-News18 spoke to people and political leaders in the constituency who believe that while traditional voters will continue to vote for the DMK or NDA alliance in the seat, the youth are far more impressed with Vijay and feel he should give him a chance.
“I want to have a different opinion,” said Terence, a young voter and first-time voter. “I think experience is important. That’s how governments are run, not by first-timers. So I will vote for the DMK. But other people are talking about it.” Victory – Let him be. They will have no impact,” he told CNN-News18.
But a B.Com student has a different opinion. “Vijay will definitely create such an impact that he will cut into the minority votes and take away the Christian and Muslim votes of those who are influenced by him.”
In the city, the TVK office is still not fully prepared for the campaign, flags still do not dominate the streets, but people feel there is more to Vijay than just acting. Vijay calls it a battle of “people versus power”.
As one walks through the crowded streets of Tiruchirappalli – the Rockfort Temple on one side, the towering Gopurams of Srirangam on the other and the chaos of Gandhi Market in between – one realizes that this is no ordinary election. The political temperature here is even higher than the heat of the city.
“I will vote for Vijay. I am sure he will be a great leader. What happened in Karur was an accident for which he was not responsible. This has happened when Jayalalitha and MGR had also campaigned that stampedes have happened, don’t blame Vijay for this. Blame him if he doesn’t fulfill his promises,” said Abdul, a young student who had contributed Rs 10,000 to the TVK fund for this election to ensure Vijay’s victory.
Trichy East constituency
Trichy East, also known as Tiruchirappalli East, is not a large constituency, but it is socially and politically stratified. Spread across 23 corporation wards, it has a total of 2,17,397 voters – including 1,04,883 males and 1,12,460 females. A large Christian and Muslim population, which together account for about 35 percent of the electorate, sits alongside a strong urban middle class and working class base. This combination makes this seat sensitive and strategically important.
Historically, the constituency has fluctuated between the DMK and the AIADMK. In 2016, AIADMK had captured it riding on the wave of Jayalalitha. In 2021, the DMK regained it decisively.
The sitting MLA, Inigo S. Irudayaraj, secured over 94,000 votes and won by a margin of over 53,000. He is also the founder of Christuva Nallenna Iyakkam and has built a strong grassroots connect, especially among Christian communities – a factor on which the DMK is once again relying on as it has fielded him again.
The AIADMK has fielded Rajasekharan, a relatively new face with local institutional ties, while the Naam Tamilar Katchi has fielded Dr Krishnasamy.
On paper, this remains a multi-cornered contest.
But in reality the entry Victory The nature of the fight has changed.
TVK’s entry
The Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam founder is not just contesting elections – he is trying to reshape the contest itself. By choosing to contest from Trichy East and Perambur, both DMK-held seats, Vijay is clearly looking to secure his entry into the Assembly by taking on the ruling party directly.
More importantly, he is essentially trying to turn the three or four angle contest into a straight political narrative.
“It is a two-way fight between our team and Stalin sir’s team, which will reduce the role of other players and intensify the fight against DMK,” Vijay said.
His biggest strength remains unchanged – celebrity appeal.
Throughout Trichy East, especially among young voters, there is palpable curiosity and, in some areas, palpable support. Political observers say that Vijay does not even need to campaign extensively on the ground. His social media reach, fan network and film legacy are already uniting people.
At a time when both the DMK and AIADMK are seen struggling to connect with young voters, this has become a significant advantage.
Many voters, especially the youth, are looking beyond the traditional DMK-AIADMK binary. There is a sense of fatigue with the existing political options – and in that gap, Vijay is presenting himself as an alternative.
attract youth
“Why not give him a chance?” It’s a line that comes up frequently in conversations across the constituency – driven by his on-screen image as much as his political message.
Victory is also backing this appeal with a clear youth-centric pitch. His manifesto promises unemployment allowance up to Rs 4,000 per month, interest-free education loans up to Rs 20 lakh, five lakh internship opportunities annually and financial assistance for young entrepreneurs.
He has described the election as a “generational shift” – even calling it a “whistle revolution”.
The numbers explain the strategy. Tamil Nadu has over 5.67 crore voters, of which about 12.5 lakh are first-time voters and about 40 per cent fall in the 20-40 age group. This is the main base that Vijay is targeting as he attempts to convert cinematic popularity into political capital.
There is already speculation that TVK may garner around 15 per cent vote share, mainly made up of youth, neutral voters and those disillusioned with both the DMK and AIADMK-led fronts.
But questions remain. Can popularity translate into votes? Can a new party build organizational strength in time? And can Vijay’s personal appeal transcend itself to benefit his candidates across the state?
“Why not?” Devraj says. But he feels that TVK will make a start but will not be able to win many seats across Tamil Nadu. However, he says Vijay will definitely jolt senior politicians who have become complacent and relying on legacy politics.
“Law and order is an important issue and people have to pay attention to it while casting their vote,” said Selvi, a flower seller who works near the Chathiram bus stand in the heart of Trichy.
For the DMK, the strategy is clear – rely on its established networks, social alliances and the local strength of Irudayaraj. For the AIADMK and others, the fight is to remain relevant in a contest that is becoming increasingly polarized since Vijay’s entry.
Trichy East, which has long been alternating between two Dravidian chiefdoms, is now, for the first time, seeing a serious attempt to disrupt that pattern.
When we spoke to their leaders, they believe that Vijay’s fight will be limited to the silver screen and nothing more.
A senior leader said, “Vijay is just an actor. He will have no impact. He is the best on screen, we all like him as an actor, but he is not a political force who can make an impact.”
Another senior AMMK leader, Thottiyam MLA M Rajasekharan, who is not directly in the fray but spoke on the victory factor, said there is a lot of publicity for the actor but he will not be able to make an impact. He said, “The youth are very impressed with him, but the voting pattern shows that he will not have that kind of impact on first-time voters unless he really works hard on the ground. Vijay has not done that. He is not even a factor.”
Whether that disruption is successful or not will be known only after the votes are counted.
March 31, 2026, 16:12 IST
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