Chennai, Oct 14 (BPNS)
Even as Super Star Kamal Haasan’s political outfit, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) drew a blank in the rural local body polls in Tamil Nadu, the fans club of another young superstar, Thalapathi Vijay won more than 100 seats in the polls.
Vijay who had not given permission to float a political outfit and filed a criminal case against 11 persons including his parents, S. Chandrashekhar and Sobha Sekhar however allowed his fans to contest the polls.
This was the first time that Vijay who by popularity ratings is second only to Rajnikant in Tamil tinsel world, allowed his fans club –All India Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyyakam- to contest the elections to the rural bodies of the nine districts of the state.
The actor’s fan club has won 115 of the 169 seats it contested and according to Bussy Anand, general secretary of the fans club and himself a former Congress MLA from Puducherry, in 13 seats, the fans won unopposed.
Anand also told media persons that 45 of the 115 who won the seats are women and the fans club members who won included farmers, lab technicians, students, school teachers, traders, and people from a cross-section of the society.
It may be noted that the All India Thalapathy Makkal Iyyakam has more than 10 lakh registered members and except for the 2011 elections, when Vijay extended support to the AIADMK and Jayalalithaa, the fans association generally don’t have any political affiliations.
Several political pundits and analysts are of the opinion that Vijay has tested the waters and that he would scout for a larger role for himself in the future politics of Tamil Nadu.
R. Padmanabhan, Director, Socio-Economic Development Foundation, a think tank based out of Madurai while speaking to BPNS said, “Vijay has done proper research before jumping into the fray and he has allowed his fans to use his name and flag. He knew that he could win a few seats given his popularity in Tamil Nadu, which is second only to Rajanikant among Tamil actors. Vijay is likely to take a plunge in the politics of Tamil Nadu as there is a clear vacuum of popular leaders in the state.”
