KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — Indian star Vijay has scored a victory in his political debut, with his party emerging as the single largest force in the Tamil Nadu state elections on Monday.
The win sent waves of excitement through his fanbase, including in Malaysia, where a local tea shop celebrated by giving away hundreds of free drinks “out of sheer love for Vijay.”
India’s Election Commission officially declared last night that Vijay’s party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), had won 108 seats.
The actor also secured personal victories in both constituencies he contested, Tiruchi East and Perambur.
While TVK emerged as the single-largest party, it fell 10 seats short of the 118 required for a simple majority in the 234-seat state legislature.
This leaves Vijay, whose full name is Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, needing to secure alliances to form the next government and potentially become the state’s next chief minister.
His rivals, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), secured 59 and 47 seats respectively.
One of India’s highest-paid actors, Vijay launched TVK in February 2024, trading his stardom for full-time politics after completing his final film.
His journey was not without challenges, including a tragic stampede at a rally last October and personal controversies.
Tea Kadai served nearly 300 free tea for customers to celebrate Vijay’s triumph in the recent Tamil Nadu state elections. — Picture courtesy of Tea Kadai
Local celebrations and Malaysian ties
In Malaysia, the news was met with jubilation. Mohamed Rizwan Abdul Ghafoor Khan, co-founder of the popular Tea Kadai chain, took his celebration a step further.
After seeing Vijay’s commanding lead in the polls, his outlets in Penang and Kuala Lumpur offered free tea to all customers who presented a congratulatory poster of the actor.
They served nearly 400 cups of free tea from 4pm until midnight.
“We are doing this out of sheer love for Vijay sir,” Mohamed Rizwan told Malay Mail.
Vijay has long-standing ties to Malaysia, having filmed blockbusters like Kuruvi (2008) and Kaavalan (2011) here.
His Thalapathy Thiruvizha swansong concert and movie album launch at Bukit Jalil National Stadium last December drew a record-breaking crowd of nearly 80,000 people.
