Vijay begins TVK candidate interviews as party gears up for first Tamil Nadu Assembly poll

Actor-politician Vijay on Tuesday began interviewing candidates from his party for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the first major electoral test for his political outfit.

The process is being conducted at the headquarters of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam in Panaiyur, where Vijay personally met aspirants seeking to contest on the party’s ticket.

According to party sources, the TVK plans to field candidates in all 234 Assembly constituencies across the state. Key constituencies are expected to be allocated to senior leaders within the party as it prepares for its electoral debut.

Vijay, who arrived at the Panaiyur office earlier in the day, is scheduled to interview around 60 potential candidates in the first round. The party reportedly received more than 4,200 applications from individuals expressing interest in contesting the elections under the TVK banner.

Insiders said the party leadership is likely to finalise and announce its shortlist of candidates soon. Among those expected to receive nominations are senior leaders Bussy Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, and Arun Raj, who are likely to contest from T Nagar, Villivakkam, and Tiruchengode constituencies respectively.

The party, which was officially launched on February 2, 2024, will be contesting the Assembly elections for the first time. TVK has been positioning itself as a political alternative to the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government in the state.

Although the party had earlier proposed a power-sharing arrangement with potential allies, no other political party has joined hands with TVK so far, leaving Vijay’s outfit to prepare for the elections independently.