Vijay, heading the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, is not the first leader to choose two constituencies to contest.
In 1991, J Jayalalithaa contested from Bargur and Kangeyam and won both. Following the AIADMK’s landslide victory, she chose to retain Bargur and vacated Kangeyam and became Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the first time.
K Krishnasamy, founder of Puthiya Tamilagam party, contested from two reserved constituencies – Ottapidaram and Valparai – in the 2016 polls and lost both.
Both the constituencies chosen by Vijay have high concentrations of the working class and a sizable chunk of Christians.
In fact, Vijay’s decision to contest from two seats on his debut drew sarcastic comments from DMK youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin.
“He has one leg here, and another there, but our ‘winning candidate’ Inigo Irudayaraj is the star candidate of Tiruchirappalli East constituency. Though Inigo has good influence among the Christians in two constituencies, he has chosen to contest for the second time from Tiruchirappalli East,” Udhyanidhi said while campaigning for his party candidate recently.
TVK general secretary Aadhav Arjuna, who came in defence of his leader, said Vijay was a courageous and independent leader who defied established political forces in the state.
Claiming a “Vijay wave” across Tamil Nadu, Arjuna said the TVK founder has the “mental strength” and would not be cowed down by “threats”.
Vijay, who bid adieu to his acting career and took to full-time politics, has been launching a campaign blitzkrieg against the ruling DMK. He had already said the contest was only between the TVK and the “evil DMK” and that other political parties don’t matter.
At a rally in Salem, he called upon the voters to accept money if offered by rivals but to “blow the whistle (TVK election symbol) when they go to the polling station on April 23”.
“Give a chance to your Vijay to form the government and see the transformation that will follow in the state,” he had appealed.
Perambur has traditionally returned DMK, AIADMK, Congress, and CPI(M) members, and presently DMK’s RD Sekar, who won the seat in 2021, has been renominated.
The PMK, which is part of the NDA, has fielded its state treasurer, M Thilakabama, in this high-stakes triangular contest, though former film director Seeman’s candidate – S Vetri Thamizhan – is also in the fray.
Though civic issues do matter in both constituencies, it is Vijay’s presence that has made the poll battle a keenly watched contest.
Perambur has the highest electorate among Chennai’s 16 constituencies, with a total of 2,22,792 voters as of April 2026. There are a total of 47 candidates in the fray.
Tiruchirappalli East accounts for 2,17,397 voters as of April 2026. The key candidates include AIADMK’s K Rajasekaran. There are 20 candidates, including independents.
