Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (; TVK) is an Indian regional political party active in the union territory of Puducherry and the state of Tamil Nadu. It was founded on 2 February 2024 by actor-turned-politician Vijay, who became its first president. The party is headquartered in Panaiyur, Chennai.
In July 2009, actor Vijay organised his fan clubsâÂÂreportedly numbering around 85,000 across Tamil Nadu, under the umbrella of a welfare association titled Vijay Makkal Iyakkam (). The association supported the AIADMK-led Alliance in the 2011 elections for the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. After a period of non-involvement in politics, the organisation contested the local body elections in Tamil Nadu in 2021 and won 115 out of the 169 seats it contested. Vijay made occasional political statements such as condemning the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in February 2019, and criticising the other political parties in an event in June 2023. On 2 February 2024, Vijay announced the launch of his political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), and stated his intent to contest the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections.
In July 2024, Vijay called for the abolishment of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, and demanded that the subject of education be moved from the Concurrent List back to the State List. In September 2024, TVK announced its ideological alignment with centre-left, following the ideologies of Ambedkar, Periyar, and Kamaraj. The party further rejected any association with right-wing politics.
On 27 October 2024, TVK held its first political conference in Vikravandi, which was reportedly attended by over 800,000 people. In the rally, Vijay unveiled the partyâÂÂs ideology as "secular social justice, and supporting social justice, secularism, egalitarianism, two-language policy, and democracy. During the conference, Vijay termed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as an "ideological opponent" due to its right-wing politics and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) as a "political adversary" due to its alleged corruption and dynastic politics. On 3 November 2024, the party passed 26 resolutions criticising the central and state governments. After the conference, TVK attracted reaching out to youth, which prompted traditional parties like the DMK and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) to increase their efforts to retain their voter base ahead of the 2026 elections.
On 13 February 2025, the party announced a large-scale enrollment drive with plans to appoint over 70,000 booth agents and restructure its internal hierarchy in preparation for the 2026 state elections. On 26 April 2025, the party held a meeting of the party functionaries in Coimbatore, where Vijay stated his commitment to establish a corruption-free, transparent, and accountable government. The party held its second conference in Madurai on 21 August 2025, where Vijay continued to attack the BJP and the DMK, while praising former actor-turned politicians M. G. Ramachandran and Vijayakanth. He also reiterated his promise for the safety of women, welfare of youth, elderly and trans persons, farmers, labourers, weavers, fisherfolk. He also called for the retrieval of the island of Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka.
During a campaign rally hosted by Vijay in the outskirts of Karur on 27 September 2025, a crowd crush resulted in the deaths of at least 41 people and left 80 others injured. Vijay shared a statement on social media expressing his condolences and announced that he intended to pay the families of the deceased , and the injured . On 27 October 2025, Vijay met with victim's families in Mamallapuram to express his condolences. The incident led to multiple litigation, and subsequent Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the incident.
On 7 March 2026, the party held International Women's Day celebration at Mahabalipuram near Chennai. During the event, party leader Vijay unveiled the party's first set of promises, ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections. The announcements were primarily women-centric, and included monthly financial assistance, free LPG cylinders, free bus travel in government buses, one sovereign of gold and silk sari for brides from poor families, gold ring and welcome kit for newborns, educational assistance for poor students, and dedicated safety teams for women's safety.
On 18 March 2026, Vijay stated that the party would contest alone in all the seats in the upcoming 2026 Tamil Nadu assembly elections. On 29 March 2026, the party announced the candidates for all the seats, and released the manifesto for the elections. Vijay started his campaign for the elections on 30 March 2016, after filing his nomination to contest the elections from the Perambur Assembly constituency, and a case was subsequently registered against him by the election officer for violating the Model Code of Conduct during the campaign.