{"id":87466,"date":"2026-03-29T01:11:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T05:11:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=87466"},"modified":"2026-03-29T01:49:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T05:49:26","slug":"87466","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=87466","title":{"rendered":"Tamil Actor Vijay\u2019s TVK Party Faces Tamil Nadu Elections Alone While Vijay\u2019s Jaffna – born Wife Sangeetha Seeks Divorce Alleging an “Adulterous Relationship:” with an Actress."},"content":{"rendered":"

By<\/p>\n

D.B.S.Jeyaraj<\/strong><\/p>\n

Elections to the Legislature of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu has been announced by the Election Commission of India. Tanil Nadu will go to the polls on 23 April 2026 to elect 234 members to it\u2019s Legislative assembly, Counting of votes would commence on May 4th 2026, Tamil Nadu voters number approximately 5.67 Crores.Of these 2.77 crore are males and 2.89 crore are female .There are 7,617 transgender voters.<\/p>\n

India is our closest neighbour and within India, the southern state of Tamil Nadu with a 72 million population is the closest Indian state to Sri Lanka. Both Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka are somewhat intertwined historically and geographically. <\/p>\n

In recent times, political developments in Tamil Nadu have had much impact on Sri Lanka. Likewise happenings in Sri Lanka arouse much interest in Tamil Nadu also. Political developments in Tamil Nadu are therefore of great importance to Sri Lanka. <\/p>\n

Furthermore popular Tamil actor Vijay who is the founder-leader of the Thamizhaga Vettrik Kazhagam(TVK) is also in the electoral fray. He has announced that his party will be facing the elections alone without aligning with other political parties.Vijay who has a very large fan following in Sri Lanka is also married to Sri Lanka born Sangeetha. <\/p>\n

It is is against this backdrop that this column focuses on the forthcoming election in Tamil Nadu with particular emphasis on Vijay\/.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Let me commence by re-visiting the previous Tamil Nadu state election held in 2021.Since 1967 Tamil Nadu state has been ruled by political parties subscribing to what is termed as Dravidian ideology. Either the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) or its alternative the All India Anna-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) have been enjoying power in the State alternately. <\/p>\n

The 2021 Elections too conformed to this pattern. The DMK led by Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin defeated the AIADMK led by Edappaadi K. Palaniswamy\/The AIADMK had ruled the State from 2011 onwards for ten years.<\/p>\n

At the 2021 poll,the DMK led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) won 159 seats while the AIADMK led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 75. No other party or alliance won even a single seat. The Naam Thamizhar Katchi (NTK) led by cinema director cum actor S. Seemaan contested all 234 seats and came third by polling over three million votes even though it failed to get an MLA elected.<\/p>\n

Nominations for the 2026 elections will close on April 7th 2026. Details of the electorates contested by various political parties and the candidates fielded by them would be officially known only then. A detailed incisive analysis would be possible only after that. <\/p>\n

Four Cornered Fight<\/strong><\/p>\n

However a preliminary overview indicates that the 2026 poll would be mainly on the lines of the 2021 election. The Tamil Nadu election is very much likely be a battle between the DMK led SPA alliance and the AIADMK led NDA alliance. Yet the election is termed by several observers as a four cornered fight because two other parties are also contesting all 234 seats separately. One is the NTK led by Seemaan and the other is the TVK led by Vijay. <\/p>\n

Some analysts view the election as a triangular tussle between the DMK led alliance,the AIADMK alliance and Vijay\u2019s TVK. Seemaan\u2019s NTK is not taken into account by these analysts despite the fact that the party polled 8% of the votes ib the 2021 poll and came third.<\/p>\n

The TVK led by Vijay has not contested any election before, It is an untested, unproven political party. Yet there is much media hype about the party. Sections of the media project the TVK as a potential winner at best and a \u201cdisruptor\u201dat worst. Several opinion polls and surveys have been conducted.Predictably the results are generally favourable to the TVK.It is also a fact that thousands of people mainly fans gather at meetings addressed by Vijay. In a tragic incident 41 persons were killed some weeks ago in a stampede at Karur where Vijay addressed a rally.<\/p>\n

Though well established political parties who have been doing politics for many years and senior political leaders with great political experience are facing the hustings,it is the novice Vijay and his fledgling TVP who are basking most in the media limelight. This is due to two reasons.One is the filmstar\u2019s personal popularity. The other is the yearning among sections of the people for an end to 59 years of Dravidian party rule in the state. Whatever the final outcome of the April 23rd poll, there is no denying that Vijay\u2019s political entry and the launching of the TVK has brightened the political skies of Tamil Nadu.<\/p>\n

Super Star Vijay<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar known to the world at large as Vijay is arguably the current super star of Tamil cinema\/. Although stylish veteran actor Rajinikanth has been acknowledged for long as Tamil cinema\u2019s solitary super star, that position seems to have changed in recent times. In terms of popularity and marketability, Vijay who celebrated his 51st birthday last year on 22nd June is way above Rajini who celebrated his 75th birthday last year on December 12th.<\/p>\n

Sangeetha- Chuzhipuram.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vijay\u2019s parents are the well-known film director SA Chandrasekhar and the reputed singer Shobha Chandrasekhar.Vijay who has a huge fan following in Sri Lanka is married to a Sri Lankan Tamil woman hailing from Chuzhipuram in Jaffna named Sangeetha Sornalingam. She is a UK citizen now.They have a son Jason Sanjay and daughter Dhivya Sasha. <\/p>\n

Vijay and Sangeetha were married ceremonially according to Hindu custom in Chennai 27 years ago on 25th August 1999. Before that,the couple registered their marriage formally in the UK on 10th July 1998. Sangeetha has filed for Divorce in February this year.<\/p>\n

Vijay debuted in films as a child actor in 1984 in the film \u201cVetri\u201d. He played lead actor for the first time in the film \u201cNaalaiya Theerppu\u201d in 1992 at the age of 18. Thereafter he has acted in 69 films most of them block busters.Vijay is the highest paid actor in Tamil cinema today reportedly earning around 200 Crore Indian rupees per film. He is also the biggest box-office draw among Tamil actors. <\/p>\n

Films and Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamil Nadu has a long tradition of film personalities entering politics and forming their own parties. Some even became chief ministers. Former Chief Ministers CN Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi were renowned film script writers. Among the Tamil film actors who entered films are NS Krishnan, MR Radha, KR Ramasamy, MG Ramachandran (MGR), Sivaji Ganesan, SS Rajendran, VN Janaki, Jayalalithaa Jayaram, TR Rajendar, SV Shekhar, Napoleon, Vijayakanth, Seemaan, Sarathkumar, Radhika, Kamal Haasan and Udayanidhi Stalin. Even the current chief minister MKStalin has acted in a few films and TV serials.<\/p>\n

Vijay is therefore the latest in a long line of Tamil film actors transforming themselves into politicians.. He launched his own political party named \u201cThamizhaga Vettrik Kazhagam\u201d (TVK) on 2nd February 2024. . Vijay\u2019s fan clubs numbering around 85,000 were converted into party branches. The TVK claims a party membership of several millions.<\/p>\n

As stated earlier there are two peculiar aspects in the politics of Tamil Nadu. One is the continuous rule of Dravidian political parties. Two regional parties namely the DMK and the AIADMK have been governing the state alternately since 1967. The other is the influence of films and film personalities in the political sphere.<\/p>\n

Dravidian Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dravidian party dominance in Tamil Nadu and the influence of cinema in Tamil Nadu politics are both inter-related issues. In a sense the rise of Dravidian politics and growing influence of cinema on politics were processes that complemented each other.<\/p>\n

The fact that a leading actor like Vijay could launch his own political party and aspire to be the future chief minister of Tamil Nadu is mainly due to the \u201ccinematic politics\u201d ecosystem prevailing in the state.<\/p>\n

It could be seen therefore that the rise of Dravidian political parties in Tamil Nadu greatly helped enhance the influence of cinema in the State\u2019s political sphere. Actor Vijay\u2019s political entry is in keeping with this tradition. However Vijay and his TVK regard the DMK and the AIADMK as their political opponents and the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) as their ideological adversary.<\/p>\n

TVK Support<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to knowledgeable political observers Vijay\u2019s TVK draws its support mainly from youths who are below 35. There is much woman support also. In terms of area, Vijay\u2019s support is more in urban areas than rural areas. The TVP is expected to do well in the state capital Chennai as well as other Tamil Nadu cities. <\/p>\n

On another level Vijay is expected to get substantial support from the Vellala community, scheduled castes,linguistic minorities and the religious minorities. Vijay himself is a Vellala Christian. <\/p>\n

Both the DMK and AIADMK form multi-party alliances to contest elections. However after winning,they form a single party administration. Electoral allies are not given ministerial portfolios. This has led to some rumblings of discontent among other parties.<\/p>\n

Minister Posts<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Vijay launched his Party,he invited other political parties to align with him. Vijay promised them a share in power and Governance.In short , electoral allies would be given minister posts. Negotiations were conducted quietly with many political parties except the ruling DMK.This was because Vijay was positioning his TVK as the alternative to the DMK. Despite offering minister posts,no Tamil Nadu party was willing to climb aboard Vijay\u2019s bandwagon. <\/p>\n

This reportedly was due to two reasons. One was that political parties were not willing to throw in their lot with the untested,unproven new kid on the block. The second was Vijay\u2019s insistence that he alone should be the chief minster. Unable to secure any ally, Vijay made a virtue of necessity by announcing last week that the party would go it alone at the elections.<\/p>\n

Though Vijay\u2019s supporters project their idol-leader as the next chief minister,many analysts doubt this. Vijay\u2019s TVK is expected to get about 10% to 20% percent of the votes and win a handful of seats in the urban areas. This would make Vijay a major player in Tamil Nadu politics but not a winner. However the votes garnered by the TVK may affect the overall election results and be the determining factor in the election. Vijay\u2019s party is expected to entice youth and woman voters from almost every party in the state.<\/p>\n

Domestic Discord<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whatever these electoral calculations may be, a recent , unexpected turn of events has caused a major upheaval. A personal matter concerning Vijay is creating much controversy. Since this personal issue has political ramifications, it is necessary to delve into this \u201c domestic discord\u201d matter briefly.<\/p>\n

As stated earlier, Vijay\u2019s wife is Sangeetha Sornalingam a British national of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. In recent times there have been many rumours and \u201cgossip\u201dnews items about both being estranged. It was alleged that an extra-marital relationship between Vijay and another actress was the reason.<\/p>\n

Divorce Petition<\/strong><\/p>\n

These rumours were proven true when Sanggetha filed for divorce in February 2025. The following excerpt from the \u201cIndian Express\u201dof 27th Feb 2026 stated as follows \u2013<\/p>\n

\u201cA divorce petition has been filed before the District Court at Chengalpattu seeking dissolution of marriage between Sangeetha Vijay and actor-politician Vijay (Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar) under Sections 27(1)(a), (b), (d) read with Sections 36 and 37 of the Special Marriage Act, 1954.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn her petition, Sangeetha, states that the marriage was first registered in the United Kingdom on July 10, 1998. A ceremonial marriage was later solemnised on August 25, 1999, at Rajah Muthiah Mandram, Egmore, Chennai, according to Hindu customs and rites.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe petition states that the early years of the marriage were \u201ccordial and harmonious,\u201d with the petitioner devoting herself to the household and upbringing of the children.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, it alleges that in April 2021, she discovered that Vijay was involved in an adulterous relationship with an actress, causing her \u201cdeep emotional pain and mental suffering, amounting to betrayal and violation of marital trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThough Vijay initially assured her that the relationship would end, the petition alleges that the association continued, leading to \u201cmental cruelty,\u201d public humiliation arising from social media posts, emotional neglect and constructive desertion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt further states that efforts between September 2021 and February 2022, and again between August 2024 and February 2025, through counsels and personal discussions, failed to result in an amicable settlement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDescribing the marriage as having been \u201cirretrievably broken\u201d and surviving only on paper, the petitioner seeks a decree of dissolution, permanent alimony commensurate with the respondent\u2019s income and social standing, the right to reside in the matrimonial home in Neelankarai until disposal of the petition or provision of equivalent accommodation, and conduct of proceedings in camera to protect the dignity and privacy of all parties .\u201d<\/p>\n

Sangeetha Attacked<\/strong><\/p>\n

When news about Sangeetha seeking divorce became public knowledge through the media,Vijay and his top party officials kept mum but Vijay\u2019s supporter minions went to town on social media. Sangeetha was attacked and vilified mercilessly. She was accused of being a DMK stooge and puppet who was making false allegations against the \u201cparagon of Virtue\u201dVijay.It was a DMK hatched plot to spoil Vijay\u2019s electoral prospects, it was alleged. <\/p>\n

The attacks on Sangeetha were so crude and vulgar that reputed women\u2019s organizations in India issued statements condemning the anti_Sangeetha campaign. When his wife of 27 years and mother of his two children was being viciously attacked, Vijay kept silent. He dd not try to restrain or stop his acolytes.<\/p>\n

Interim Petition<\/strong><\/p>\n

Subsequently Sangeetha filed an interim petition before the Chengelpattu court in the first week of March seeking maintenance and residential rights amid their pending divorce case. According to Indian media reports Sangeetha has requested the court to direct Vijay to pay appropriate maintenance until the divorce case is resolved.In addition to maintenance, Sangeetha has also sought the right to reside in Vijay\u2019s property in Neelankarai, Chennai. She has asked the court to allow her to stay at the house located at Kapaleeswarar Nagar, Neelankarai, through an interim order.<\/p>\n

Trisha Krishnan<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is noteworthy that Sangeetha in the divorce petition had referred to her husband\u2019s alleged adulterous relationship with another actress but had pointedly refrained from naming her or citing her as a third party. However in a bizarre twist Vijay and the popular Tamil actress Trisha Krishnan travelled together in the same vehicle to attend the wedding of the son of a film producer. Vijay clad in verti and Trisha wearing a saree were dressed in identical colours. <\/p>\n

It appeared that Vijay and Trisha were conveying a message to the world in general and Sangeetha in particular by this brazen act. The controversial incident created a furore. For the first time several persons in the cinema sphere condemned Vijay. While most of Vijay\u2019s supporters and defenders were struck dumb, a few even criticized him openly. Interestingly the attacks on Sangeetha by Vijay\u2019s supporters lost steam and began drastically declining.<\/p>\n

Legal Wife<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite its high literacy rate and industrialization level, Tamil Nadu is basically conservative with old fashioned values and norms. Yet several prominent politicians and popular filmstars have had more than \u2018one wife\u201d. In all these the first or legal wife has not complained publicly or sought a divorce. Sangeetha seeking a divorce from Vijay goes against this norm. It must not be forgotten that Sangeetha is a Jaffna Tamil from Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

It remains to be seen as to how the people of Tamil Nadu especially the women react to Vijay\u2019s conduct when they vote on election day.Meanwhile Vijay and Sangeetha have been summoned by court for a prelimary hearing on April 20th. Three days later on April 23rd Tamil Nadu will go to the polls.<\/p>\n

D.B.S.Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo<\/em>.costrong>
\nm<\/\n\nThis article appears in the \u201cDBS Jeyaraj Column:of the \u201cDaily Mirror\u201ddated 21st March 2026.It can be accessed here -\n\nhttps:\/\/www.dailymirror.lk\/opinion\/Vijays-TVK-Party-faces-Tamil-Nadu-elections-alone\/172-335947<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

*************************************************************************<\/strong><\/p>\n

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By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Elections to the Legislature of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu has been announced by the Election Commission of India. Tanil Nadu will go to the polls on 23 April 2026 to elect 234 members to it\u2019s Legislative assembly, Counting of votes would commence on May 4th 2026, Tamil Nadu voters number …<\/p>\n

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