Overview
- Thousands gathered at TVK’s Panaiyur headquarters to buy candidate application forms, choking traffic on East Coast Road as police controlled access.
- TVK said over 10,000 forms were issued within 90 minutes on day one, with distribution scheduled daily through February 14 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and options shifted online to reduce crowds.
- Residents near the party office complained of barricades, noise and blocked streets, and local welfare groups have asked police for stronger traffic and crowd regulation.
- Party sources say Vijay is considering contesting from Velachery or Virugambakkam in Chennai, with other ‘V’-initial constituencies outside the city still under review; a report that he will run from two seats, including Tiruchirappalli East, remains unconfirmed.
- TVK, launched in February 2024 with the Election Commission’s ‘whistle’ symbol, builds on Vijay Makkal Iyakkam’s 115 wins in the 2021 rural civic polls and has positioned the DMK as its political rival and the BJP as its ideological opponent.