One of Vijay’s biggest advantages was the network of around 85,000 fan clubs he had carefully cultivated over his 30‑year career in the Tamil film industry.
When he launched his party two years ago, his vast fan base evolved into an organised political machine and sophisticated online army, sharing campaign material and clips from his speeches.
“Vijay had limited campaign appearances. But that unseen force of the virtual campaign was highly effective. Traditional opinion polls and observers missed this trend,” says Chandrasekharan, on why few exit polls captured the political wave ahead of the results.
Every Vijay rally, he says, quickly acquired a second, digital life. His team and supporters rapidly turned speeches into punchy short-form clips that flooded YouTube and other platforms within minutes. The party’s well-funded and well-organised information technology wing also played a key role in churning out campaign material and in responding to criticism from rivals.
“The operating model blended everything – presence, content, networks, timing, speed and symbolism – into a single flow,” says Chandrasekharan.
The strategy appears to have struck a chord with Gen Z voters and women, who backed him in large numbers. It is rare for a party to achieve such success in Tamil Nadu without allegations of influencing voters in some way.
Chandrasekharan, however, urges caution in the long run.
“This model has worked because Vijay has no baggage and is a new entrant to politics. But he needs to perform after coming to power. He also needs to strengthen his party structure – you can’t be only campaigning in the digital world,” he says
Many have also questioned the actor’s lack of political and administrative experience as he steps into the top post.
His party colleagues say they are not worried.
“What kind of experience (did) the DMK have when they came to power in 1967? Our aim is to provide a clean administration, and our leader can do that,” Badhurudeen says.
There is little doubt that Vijay has made history, single-handedly taking on Tamil Nadu’s entrenched political giants, the DMK and AIADMK.
But amid the celebrations, there is growing recognition that winning an election is only the beginning in politics.
For Thalapathy Vijay and his virtual warriors, the real-world challenges begin now.
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