By Rajesh B Nair

Copyright thehindu

In a development that could fuel speculation in Puducherry’s political landscape ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, actor-turned-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay plans to make a stopover in the Union Territory (UT) on October 11 to hold a roadshow and a street-corner meeting in the town, before heading to the neighbouring Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu as part of his political tour of the State.

The TVK has sought police permission to hold a roadshow covering the busy stretches of Ajantha Signal, S.V. Patel Salai, Anna Salai, Sonampalayam, and Marappalam Junction within the Puducherry town limits. The party has also requested permission to organise a grand welcome for the actor at Kalapet and to hold a street-corner meeting during the roadshow at Sonampalayam in the Uppalam constituency.

“We have received a representation from TVK functionaries to hold a roadshow and a meeting to address supporters on October 11. We are gathering reports from various wings of the police and government departments before granting permission,” a senior officer told The Hindu.

AINRC-BJP relations

Though Mr. Vijay has, so far, not announced any decision regarding his entry into the electoral politics of the Union Territory, he enjoys a long-standing fan following in Puducherry, one that includes Chief Minister and All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) founder-president N. Rangasamy. Additionally, Puducherry is the home State of TVK’s general secretary N. Anand, popularly known as Bussy Anand, a former legislator and AINRC member who later joined the TVK.

Mr. Anand was elected to the Puducherry Assembly in 2006 from the Bussy constituency (now Uppalam), contesting on a ticket from the now-defunct Puducherry Munnetra Congress, a party founded by late MP P. Kannan.

Mr. Rangasamy, who had never hesitated in expressing his admiration for the actor, had recently, while extending birthday greetings to him, wished the actor success in his electoral battle. Interestingly, a few functionaries of the TVK had also met the Chief Minister two days ago to seek permission to hold the roadshow and street-corner meeting in Puducherry.

For some time now, there has been speculation in political circles of a possible realignment of the alliance involving the AINRC, after reports emerged of Mr. Rangasamy having differences with his ruling ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Recently, BJP leaders, including UT in charge Nirmal Kumar Surana, had a meeting with the Chief Minister and AINRC leaders to sort out issues, after Mr. Rangasamy skipped attending the office over certain administrative issues. The Chief Minister has been openly complaining about a lack of “support” from officials to implement the “agenda” of the government.

In the context of developments within the AINRC-BJP alliance and the recent outbursts by Independents backing the BJP in the Assembly against the government, Mr. Vijay’s roadshow could prove to be an interesting phase in the UT’s political space ahead of next year’s elections. “It will be interesting to see his entry into Puducherry, as his ‘political enemy’ is not the ruling party in the UT. He has stated that we [the BJP] are his ideological enemy. We will wait and watch,“ said a BJP leader.